Piston

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Piston \Pis"ton\, n. [F. piston; cf. It. pistone piston, also
     pestone a large pestle; all fr. L. pinsere, pistum, to pound,
     to stamp. See {Pestle}, {Pistil}.] (Mach.)
     A sliding piece which either is moved by, or moves against,
     fluid pressure. It usually consists of a short cylinder
     fitting within a cylindrical vessel along which it moves,


     back and forth. It is used in steam engines to receive motion
     from the steam, and in pumps to transmit motion to a fluid;
     also for other purposes.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Piston head} (Steam Eng.), that part of a piston which is
        made fast to the piston rod.
  
     {Piston rod}, a rod by which a piston is moved, or by which
        it communicates motion.
  
     {Piston valve} (Steam Eng.), a slide valve, consisting of a
        piston, or connected pistons, working in a cylindrical
        case which is provided with ports that are traversed by
        the valve.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Piston
       n 1: United States neoclassical composer (1894-1976) [syn: {Walter
            Piston}]
       2: mechanical device that has a plunging or thrusting motion
          [syn: {plunger}]