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Glite Dictionary
🔧 A carburettor 🍞 High in carbs
carby

carby

1 9.7
A device in older car engines that mixes air and fuel
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : carburador
  • After cleaning the carby, the engine started running smoothly again.

Examples

  • He decided to replace the old carby with a newer model for better performance.

  • How much advantage will the carby give him?

    Jack Ensch: Hanoi Hilton POW (2016)

  • I don't miss cake, cookies, candy, bread, or other carby stuff, but I do miss fruit.

    Blog text (28)

  • Gerty said that Ailsa would kill her if she found out about the carby.

    Jack Ensch: Hanoi Hilton POW (2016)

  • The twin carby.

    Jack Ensch: Hanoi Hilton POW (2016)

  • I still feel bad that they’re mostly getting carby crap.

    Blog text (21)

  • Hey, I'm a southern girl, and I don't drink sweet tea (too carby!) and I can't stand country music.

    Blog text (13)

  • I had always felt like the bladder problem was worse when I was eating paleo, would get better if I caved and ate something super carby, but then would get worse again hours later.

    Blog text (26)

  • The mechanic explained that the carby needs regular adjustments to function properly.

Synonyms

carburetor
vscarby
  • Specialized
39 7.0

A part of an engine that mixes air with small amounts of fuel for burning

is a casual informal word rather than the formal technical name
carb
vscarby
  • Jargon
7 8.6

A part of older car engines that mixes air with fuel

is a casual variant of the same short informal name

Surface Forms

carby singular
carbies plural

Morphology

carby = carb (transparent) = carb + y

Formed by adding the productive colloquial suffix '-y' to the informal noun 'carb' (carburettor), so the noun 'carby' is a straightforward informal extension.

Etymology

Carby as a noun is an informal short form of carburettor, the older engine part that 'mixes air and fuel'. That's why a carby is the part you clean or replace when an older car runs poorly.