diesel
/ˈdisəl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.05 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A fuel derived from petroleum (or other oils) but heavier than gasoline/petrol. Used to power diesel engines which burn this fuel using the heat produced when air is compressed.
Countable; Uncountable
verb
For a spark-ignition internal combustion engine to continue running after the electrical current to the spark plugs has been turned off. This occurs when there's enough heat in the combustion chamber to ignite the air and fuel mixture without a spark, the same way that heat and pressure cause ignition in a diesel engine.
Example Sentences
- "They were chagrined to see that the price of diesel had climbed past six dollars a gallon."
- "His next truck will be a diesel."
- "A group of overalled men at one of the dozen stained crueted tables looked up briefly as they came in and then resumed their low conversation. Relief crews for the Diesels, Bond guessed."
- "1959, Steam's Finest Hour, edited by David P. Morgan, Kalmbach Publishing Co., referring to Mexico's last new steam locomotives. Their effective service life was cut short by an almost simultaneous switch to diesels - a circumstance shared with many an engine north of the border."
- "Their next engine design will be a diesel."
- "Thumbed a diesel down, outside a cafe."
Etymology
From German Diesel, named after inventor Rudolf Diesel, who developed a heavy-duty engine in Germany (1892–1897) and perfected it throughout his life.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: Diesel
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈdisəl/
Usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- Slang
- British usage