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pistonlike

 - 3 dictionary results

pis⋅ton

  [pis-tuhn]
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–noun
1. a disk or cylindrical part tightly fitting and moving within a cylinder, either to compress or move a fluid collected in the cylinder, as air or water, or to transform energy imparted by a fluid entering or expanding inside the cylinder, as compressed air, explosive gases, or steam, into a rectilinear motion usually transformed into rotary motion by means of a connecting rod.
2. a pumplike valve used to change the pitch in a cornet or the like.
Origin:
1695–1705; < F < It pistone piston, a learned alter. of pestone large pestle, equiv. to pest(are) to pound (var. of ML pistare, deriv. of L pīstus ptp. of pīnsere to pound) + -one aug. suffix

Related forms:
pis⋅ton⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

piston 
1704, from Fr. piston, from M.Fr. piston "large pestle," from O.It. pistone, variant of pestone "a pestle," from pestare "to pound," from L.L. pistare, freq. of L. pinsere (pp. pistus) "to pound" (see pestle).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
piston   (pĭs'tən)  Pronunciation Key 


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A solid cylinder or disk that fits snugly into a hollow cylinder and moves back and forth under the pressure of a fluid (typically a hot gas formed by combustion, as in many engines), or moves or compresses a fluid, as in a pump or compressor.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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