distributor cap
2
6.9
- noun
- /dɪˈstrɪbjʊtər kæp/
- Specialized
:
tapa del distribuidor
- They took the distributor cap.
- distributor cap and rotor
Examples
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You got a loose wire in your distributor cap.
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Hey, listen, have you got a distributor cap that'd fit that thing?
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Take off the distributor cap and rotor and check the centrifugal advance weights and springs.
Blog text (5) -
To fix the engine, we need to replace the distributor cap with a new one.
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During the inspection, the mechanic found that the distributor cap was cracked.
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She carefully removed the distributor cap to access the spark plug wires.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'distributor' (an automotive part) combined with 'cap' (a removable cover) yields 'the cap of the distributor.' This follows a regular noun–noun compounding pattern that a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer, and similar component+cover constructions exist cross-linguistically.
Etymology
The compound noun distributor cap is a literal name: it is the cap, like a small hat, that sits on the distributor and holds the wires that 'send' electricity to each spark plug. That's why it means the protective cover on that part of a car engine.