diesel engine
6
2.8
- noun
- /ˈdiːzəl ˈɛnʤɪn/
- Specialized
:
motor diésel
- Ballard is now developing a 275-horsepower bus engine that fits into the diesel engine compartment of a bus.
- diesel engine fuel
- emissions from diesel engines
- diesel engine exhaust
Examples
-
In Switzerland, trains are electrically powered, whereas trucks and cars are usually powered by diesel engines.
Academic text (2012) -
Trucking is the lifeblood of the freight business in this country, and diesel engines are its beating heart.
Academic text (2006) -
With your new rail, I can triple my load capacity but I need more diesel engines.
-
From left: General Motors' 1.9-liter diesel engine powers small vehicles in Europe.
Academic text (2006) -
The rig was roaring away when he got there, the big diesel engine running flat out under load.
Fiction book (2002) -
There are two types of diesel engines used to power large ships: main propulsion and auxiliary.
Academic text (2012) -
The technology of light-duty, direct-injection diesel engines has advanced tremendously in the last decade or so.
Academic text (2006) -
The EPA is issuing new standards to cut emissions from locomotive and marine diesel engines by approximately 90%.
Academic text (2012) -
Propelling the truck is a 5-cylinder diesel engine, which generates 62 kilowatts of power.
Academic text (1993) -
The old ship had been refitted with a diesel engine to improve its fuel efficiency.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A machine that uses fuel to make power for cars or machines
33
3.4
An engine that squeezes and heats air so fuel burns without a spark
1
3.5
An engine that runs on diesel fuel, used in trucks and ships
A diesel engine that injects fuel directly into the chamber where it burns
An engine that sends diesel fuel straight into the part where it burns to use less fuel
How Powerful
- Specialized
5
3.6
- Specialized
14
3.7
- Specialized
∞
1.0
- Specialized
6
2.8
256
2.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an engine that runs on diesel fuel' is directly and compositionally derived from 'diesel' (a type of fuel/engine) + 'engine' (a machine that converts fuel into mechanical energy). This noun–noun compound follows a transparent specification pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Diesel engine was named after the inventor Rudolf Diesel, who built a new kind of engine that runs on heavy oil. The parts diesel and engine give a clear picture: it is an engine that runs on 'diesel' fuel, so today the phrase means an engine that uses that fuel.