Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

turbine

/ˈtɝ.baɪn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.63 in modern English

Syllables: tur-bine
IPA: /ˈtɝ.baɪn/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of various rotary machines that use the kinetic energy of a continuous stream of fluid (a liquid or a gas) to turn a shaft.

Example Sentences

"Upstream from the house is a watermill, cased in gleaming white weather-boarding, which has been restored to working order. Near by is the water-driven turbine which [Rudyard] Kipling had installed in 1902 to light his mansion with electricity."
"Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work. […] Through the efforts of many thousands of engineers in the intervening 70 years or so, such gas turbines have come to dominate aircraft propulsion and, with their now-unmatched thermal efficiency and low cost, are the superstars of electric power plants."

Etymology

Borrowed from French turbine, from Latin turbō, turbinem (“tornado, whirlwind; crowd”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: turbo

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈtɝ.baɪn/
British English: /ˈtɜː.baɪn/

Inflected Forms

turbines (plural)

Derived Forms

hydroturbine microturbine multiturbine turbinelike

Phrases

expansion turbine Francis turbine gas turbine Jonval turbine Kaplan turbine ram air turbine reaction turbine Rushton turbine

Frequently Paired Words

turbid turbojet turbo-jet turbomachinery

Questions

How do you pronounce turbine?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtɝ.baɪn/.
What does turbine mean?: Any of various rotary machines that use the kinetic energy of a continuous stream of fluid (a liquid or a gas) to turn a shaft.
Where does turbine come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce turbine

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “turbine”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈtɝ.baɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “turbine”.
Repeat and practice — Say “turbine” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.