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Glite Dictionary
⚙️ A soft alloy 🔧 To line with metal
babbitt

babbitt

9.9
A soft metal made from tin and other metals that lines bearings in machines to reduce rubbing
  • noun
  • /ˈbæbɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : babbitt
  • To ensure less friction, the technician recommended using a babbitt alloy for the new bearings.

Examples

  • The engine ran smoothly thanks to the babbitt lining in the bearings.

  • "I suppose we could cast a babbitt sleeve and machine it to fit.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Constructed of steel and babbitt, the bearings are manufactured to produce 0.0003-in. tolerances (0.0001-in. if required).

    Academic text (1995)

  • A babbitt composition is essential in prolonging the life of machinery by reducing wear.

Synonyms

Babbitt metal
vsbabbitt
  • Specialized
9.6

A soft metal made from tin and small amounts of other metals used to line bearings to reduce friction

has identical meaning but is a different name form
bearing metal
vsbabbitt
  • Specialized
7.6

A metal made by mixing metals that helps machine parts move smoothly

is a specific tin copper antimony lining alloy rather than any bearing alloy

Compounds

Babbitt metal
  • Specialized
9.6

A soft metal made from tin and small amounts of other metals used to line bearings to reduce friction

Surface Forms

babbitt singular
babbitts plural

Etymology

The word babbitt is named after Isaac Babbitt, who invented this soft mix of metals in the 1800s. It was made to line bearings 'to make parts move more easily', so a babbitt is the special metal used inside machine parts to protect them.