PISTON

piston, plunger

(noun) mechanical device that has a plunging or thrusting motion

Piston, Walter Piston

(noun) United States neoclassical composer (1894-1976)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Proper noun

Piston

A surname.

Anagrams

• Pintos, Points, Tipson, instop, opts in, pinots, pintos, pitons, points, posnit, postin

Etymology

Noun

piston (plural pistons)

A solid disk or cylinder that fits inside a hollow cylinder, and moves under pressure (as in an engine) or displaces fluid (as in a pump)

(music) A valve device in some brass instruments for changing the pitch

(firearms)

Verb

piston (third-person singular simple present pistons, present participle pistoning, simple past and past participle pistoned)

(intransitive) To move up and down like a piston.

Anagrams

• Pintos, Points, Tipson, instop, opts in, pinots, pintos, pitons, points, posnit, postin

Source: Wiktionary


Pis"ton, n. Etym: [F. piston; cf. It. pistone piston, also pestone a large pestle; all fr. L. pinsere, pistum, to pound, to stamp. See Pestle, Pistil.] (Mach.)

Definition: 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. 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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28 May 2025

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