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internal-combustion engine
noun
- an engine of one or more working cylinders in which the process of combustion takes place within the cylinders.
internal-combustion engine
noun
- a heat engine in which heat is supplied by burning the fuel in the working fluid (usually air)
internal-combustion engine
/ ĭn-tûr′nəl-kəm-bŭs′chən /
- An engine whose fuel is burned inside the engine itself rather than in an outside furnace or burner. Gasoline and diesel engines are internal-combustion engines, as are gas turbine engines such as turbojets.
- Compare steam engine
internal-combustion engine
- Any engine powered by burning fuel inside it (for example, a standard automobile engine). Internal-combustion engines normally burn fossil fuels and therefore are a major source of air pollution . ( See smog .)
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Word History and Origins
Origin of internal-combustion engine1
First recorded in 1880–85
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