reciprocating engine
noun
any engine employing the rectilinear motion of one or more pistons in cylinders.
Also called
displacement engine,
piston engine.
Origin of reciprocating engine
First recorded in 1815–25
Words nearby reciprocating engine
reciprocal insurance,
reciprocal leveling,
reciprocal transfusion,
reciprocal translocation,
reciprocate,
reciprocating engine,
reciprocation,
reciprocity,
reciprocity failure,
recision,
recit.
British Dictionary definitions for displacement engine
reciprocating engine
noun
an engine in which one or more pistons move backwards and forwards inside a cylinder or cylinders