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Glite Dictionary
packing nut

packing nut

9.3
A small metal piece you tighten to press seal material and stop leaks on valves or pumps
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : tuerca de compresión
  • The engineer adjusted the packing nut on the pump to stop the drip.

Examples

  • You may need to tighten the packing nut if the faucet begins to leak.

  • Replacing the worn packing nut restored the valve's proper function.

  • The packing nut helps seal the valve.

  • Make sure the packing nuts are tight.

  • Replacing the worn packing nut restored the valve's proper function.

  • The engineer adjusted the packing nut on the pump to stop the drip.

  • You may need to tighten the packing nut if the faucet begins to leak.

Synonyms

stuffing nut
vspacking nut
  • Specialized
9.9

A metal nut that presses soft material to stop oil leaking around a moving rod

compresses packing to prevent leaks around shafts or rods whether moving or stationary

How Tight

stuffing nut
  • Specialized
9.9
packing nut
  • Specialized
9.3

Surface Forms

packing nut singular
packing nuts plural

Morphology

pack + nut

The noun is compositionally built from 'packing' (the sealing material or the action of packing a joint) + 'nut' (a threaded fastener), so its meaning — a nut used to compress packing to prevent leaks — is directly inferable from the parts. Although technical, this straightforward noun+noun composition is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent senses would understand it.

Etymology

The compound noun packing nut comes from old pumps and valves. A metal nut was tightened to press a ring of soft packing around a moving rod so water or oil would not leak, and because the nut's job was to make the packing tight, the name now means the nut that 'stops leaks'.