piston

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piston

in an internal-combustion engine

pis·ton

(pĭs′tən)

1. A solid cylinder or disk that fits snugly into a larger cylinder and moves under fluid pressure, as in a reciprocating engine, or displaces or compresses fluids, as in pumps and compressors.

2. Music A valve mechanism in brass instruments for altering the pitch.

[French, from Italian pistone, pestone, large pestle, from pestare, to pound, crush, from Late Latin pistāre, frequentative of Latin pīnsere, pīnsāre.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

piston

(ˈpɪstən)

(Automotive Engineering) a disc or cylindrical part that slides to and fro in a hollow cylinder. In an internal-combustion engine it is forced to move by the expanding gases in the cylinder head and is attached by a pivoted connecting rod to a crankshaft or flywheel, thus converting reciprocating motion into rotation

[C18: via French from Old Italian pistone, from pistare to pound, grind, from Latin pinsere to crush, beat]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pis•ton

(ˈpɪs tən)

n.

1. a disk or solid cylinder moving within a longer cylinder and exerting pressure on, or receiving pressure from, a fluid or gas.

2. a pumplike valve used to change the pitch in a cornet or the like.

[1695–1705; < French < Italian pistone piston, a learned alter. of pestone large pestle =pest(are) to pound (variant of Medieval Latin pistare, derivative of Latin pīstus, past participle of pīnsere to pound) + -one augmentative suffix]

Pis•ton

(ˈpɪs tən)

n.

Walter, 1894–1976, U.S. composer.

piston

The fuel-air mixture in the left-hand chamber expands when ignited by the spark plug, pushing the piston down and turning the shaft to which it is attached. The turning shaft drives the piston in the right-hand cylinder upward. It will then be pushed down in the same way when the fuel-air mixture enters that chamber and is ignited. The alternating action of the two pistons keeps the shaft turning.

pis·ton

(pĭs′tən)

A solid cylinder or disk that fits snugly into a hollow cylinder and moves back and forth under the pressure of a fluid, as in many engines, or moves or compresses a fluid, as in a pump or compressor.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	Piston - United States neoclassical composer (1894-1976) Walter Piston
	2.	piston - mechanical device that has a plunging or thrusting motion plunger mechanical device - mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles piston ring - seal consisting of a split metal ring that seals the gap between a piston and the cylinder wall piston rod - connecting rod that moves or is moved by a piston reciprocating engine - an internal-combustion engine in which the crankshaft is turned by pistons moving up and down in cylinders

Translations

مِكْبَس

píst

stempel

mäntä

klip

dugattyú

stimpill

pistone stantuffo

ピストン

피스톤

stūmoklis

virzulis

поршень клапан пистон плунжер

piest

kolv

ลูกสูบ

piston

pít tông

活塞

piston

[ˈpɪstən]

A. N → pistón m, émbolo m (Mus) → pistón m, llave f

B. CPD piston engine N → motor m a pistón
piston ring N → aro m or segmento m de pistón
piston rod N → biela f
piston stroke N → carrera f del émbolo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

piston

[ˈpɪst^ən] n → piston m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

piston

n → Kolben m; piston stroke → Kolbenhub m

piston

piston engine

n → Kolbenmotor m

piston ring

n → Kolbenring m

piston rod

n → Pleuel- or Kolbenstange f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

piston

[ˈpɪstən] n (gen) → stantuffo (Aut) → pistone m

piston

(ˈpistən) noun

(in engines, pumps etc) a round piece usually of metal that fits inside a cylinder and moves up and down or backwards and forwards inside it.

piston

→ مِكْبَس píst stempel Kolben πιστόνι pistón mäntä piston klip pistone ピストン 피스톤 zuiger stempel tłok pistão поршень kolv ลูกสูบ piston pít tông 活塞

References in classic literature ?

The slender expressive fingers, forever active, for- ever striving to conceal themselves in his pockets or behind his back, came forth and became the piston rods of his machinery of expression.

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It had a black canal in it, and a river that ran purple with ill-smelling dye, and vast piles of building full of windows where there was a rattling and a trembling all day long, and where the piston of the steam-engine worked monotonously up and down, like the head of an elephant in a state of melancholy madness.

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Finally he thrust the sharp point home, pressed down the tiny piston, and sank back into the velvet-lined arm-chair with a long sigh of satisfaction.

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And the hulking figure advanced on tiptoe, like a performing elephant, until just at the open door, when for a second we saw his left revolving like a piston and his head thrown back at its fighting angle.

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The ceiling of this small chamber is really the end of the descending piston, and it comes down with the force of many tons upon this metal floor.

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There was some talk about turbine engines, direct application of steam, and the absence of pistons, rods, and cranks,--all of which was beyond me, for I was familiar only with sailing craft; but I did understand the last words of the engineer.

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The huge limbs moved as steadily as pistons, eight feet to each stride, and the wrinkled skin of the elbow points rustled.

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He seemed to come from the humming oily centre of the machine where the polished rods are sliding, and the pistons thumping; he grasped things so firmly but so loosely; he made the others appear like old maids cheapening remnants.

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These issues can be addressed using a piston gallery with a kidney-shaped cross section, which guides the flow of cooling oil in an optimal hydraulic path, and ensures a uniform dissipation of heat that makes overheating impossible.

LASER WELDING PUTS STEEL PISTONS IN CAR DIESEL ENGINES

Not only is the design and production simplified, but the plastic piston is approximately half the weight of the steel.