tank engine
1
5.0
- noun
- /tæŋk ˈɛnʤɪn/
- Archaic
:
locomotora tanque
- Many children are fascinated by the stories of tank engines that can carry coal and water.
- Thomas the Tank Engine
Examples
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The museum has a display featuring an old tank engine that was used during the war.
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It's like Thomas the Tank Engine always says: "Simple is better."
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You ever watch Thomas the Tank Engine?
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Well, what would Thomas the Tank Engine say, Lemon?
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If you mention Thomas the Tank Engine one more time I'm gonna shoot you in the fucking face.
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November is also National Model Railroad Month, and one of our daily activities is playing with Thomas the Tank Engine trains.
Blog text (9) -
Thomas the Tank Engine.
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When autistic kids are awake, they're awake, and you can bang your head against the bedroom wall all you like, but it's not gonna alter the fact that they're awake and wanna watch Finding Nemo while running Thomas the Tank Engine over your head at 4 AM on a Tuesday morning!
Blog text (9) -
But then, in November 1942, Hives proposed an ingenious swap in which Rolls-Royce would get the jet in exchange for the Merlin-derived tank engine Rolls-Royce had designed.
Academic text (1997) -
The tank engine on the tracks started puffing steam as it prepared for departure.
Synonyms
37
4.6
A train engine that pulls rail cars
3
3.2
A train engine that uses steam made by heating water to move
A steam engine that carries its own fuel and water so it needs no separate car
A machine on train tracks that pulls or pushes trains
A large machine on wheels that pulls a train on tracks
How Powerful
37
4.6
- Archaic
1
5.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a steam locomotive that carries its own fuel and water' is directly derivable from combining 'tank' (a container for liquids) with 'engine' (a locomotive/machine), implying an engine that has tanks. This noun–noun compounding is a straightforward compositional pattern found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Tank engine comes from the clear image of small water and fuel tanks fixed on or around the engine, so the locomotive carries its own supplies instead of hauling a separate car. So today tank engine means 'a locomotive that carries its own fuel and water'.