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spark plug

 - 3 dictionary results

spark plug

–noun
1. a device designed to fit in each cylinder of a gasoline-powered internal-combustion engine and to produce the electric spark for igniting the mixture of gasoline and air.
2. Informal. a person who leads, inspires, or animates a group.

Origin:
1900–05
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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spark plug  


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n.  
  1. A device inserted in the head of an internal-combustion engine cylinder that ignites the fuel mixture by means of an electric spark.

  2. Informal One who gives life or energy to an endeavor.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Science Dictionary
spark plug  


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A device in the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine that ignites the fuel mixture by means of an electric spark. Spark plugs consist of two electrodes that are separated by an insulator except at their tips. When high voltage electricity is fed to one electrode, it jumps across the gap from one tip to the other as a spark. The voltage required to generate a spark is directly proportional to the size of the gap; in a car engine it is about 18,000 volts.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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