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Glite Dictionary
carburetor

carburetor

39 7.0
A part of an engine that mixes air with small amounts of fuel for burning
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑrbjʊˌreɪtər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : carburador
  • The '66 Mustang she had driven all through high school had a carburetor problem.

Does Theo know what a carburetor is and does?

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Examples

  • The team replaced the stock carburetor with one tuned for liquid petroleum gas.

    Academic text (2007)

  • It sounds like the gasoline is turning into varnish inside the carburetor.

    Julia X (2011)

  • So this is the new carburetor, and now it's out with the old and with the new.

  • Yeah, and where you gonna get a new carburetor, huh?

    Grease (1978)

  • Your fuel mixture in the front carburetor is too rich.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The man's excuse: bad traffic, downed power line, faulty carburetor.

    I Don't Know How She Does It (2011)

  • You've got to buy special gears, axles, a high-performance engine, and a carburetor.

    Academic text (1990)

  • This kid, Duane, his car has got a faulty carburetor, so he keeps a screwdriver on hand in the car to adjust, you know, for cold starts.

    Xtinction: Predator X (2010)

  • The Cougar had mag rims, dual carburetors, and a pounding tape deck.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The mechanic explained how the carburetor mixes air with fuel for efficient combustion.

Synonyms

carb
vscarburetor
  • Jargon
7 8.6

A part of older car engines that mixes air with fuel

is the technical neutral name for the same engine device
carby
vscarburetor
  • Jargon
1 9.7

A device in older car engines that mixes air and fuel

is the technical neutral name rather than a casual label

Surface Forms

carburetor singular
carburetors plural
carburettors plural
carburettor singular

Morphology

carburetor = carbure + or

Although the suffix '-or' is an agent/device marker, the root 'carbure' is a borrowed technical combining form not recognizable as an independent English word, so learners cannot derive the meaning from its parts.

Etymology

The word carburetor comes from a root that means 'coal' or 'carbon', the same root you see in carbon. A helpful way to remember it is that a carburetor 'adds' fuel (which contains carbon) to the air and mixes them for the engine, so the name fits its job.