Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
brake cylinder

brake cylinder

3.7
A part in a car's brake system that holds and pushes brake fluid to make the brakes work
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : cilindro de freno
  • The mechanic replaced the faulty brake cylinder to ensure the car's brakes were working effectively.

Examples

  • After inspecting the vehicle, we discovered that the brake cylinder was leaking fluid.

  • A malfunction in the brake cylinder can lead to reduced braking power and compromise safety.

  • I find the most challenging part is the reassembly of the parking brake link/spring and parking brake actuator fitting up with the shoes and brake cylinder push-rods.

    Blog text (3)

Synonyms

hydraulic brake cylinder
vsbrake cylinder
  • Specialized
6.3

A metal tube in a vehicle that holds fluid and uses a piston to stop the wheels

is the general vehicle stopping component not limited to hydraulic systems

Surface Forms

brake cylinder singular
brake cylinders plural

Morphology

brake + cylinder

The compound is fully compositional: 'brake' (device applying pressure to stop motion) + 'cylinder' (a machine chamber for a piston) yields the cylinder component of a braking system. A B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer this meaning because the formation is regular and cross-linguistically common, so it is transparent.

Etymology

Brake cylinder is the round metal tube in a car's brake system where a moving part pushes brake fluid to press the brakes. So the name links brake (what it helps to 'stop' the car) and cylinder (its round shape).