turbine

noun

tur·​bine ˈtər-bən 

-ˌbīn

: a rotary engine actuated by the reaction or impulse or both of a current of fluid (such as water, steam, or air) subject to pressure and usually made with a series of curved vanes on a central rotating spindle

Did you know?

The oldest and simplest form of turbine is the waterwheel, which is made to rotate by water falling across its blades and into buckets suspended from them. Hero of Alexandria invented the first steam-driven turbine in the 1st century A.D., but a commercially practical steam turbine wasn't developed until 1884; steam turbines are now the main elements of electric power stations. Jet engines are gas turbines. A turbojet engine uses a turbine to compress the incoming air that feeds the engine before being ejected to push the plane forward; a turboprop engine uses its exhaust to drive a turbine that spins a propeller. A wind turbine generates electricity by being turned by the wind; the largest now have vanes with a turning diameter of over 400 feet.

Examples of turbine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In gigantic machine rooms, turbines whirled around the clock. —Maria Varenikova Nicole Tung, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024

The job is not just about returning turbines to service. —Caitlin Kelly, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024

Lundstrom hopes to co-locate the turbines with facilities that produce hydrogen fuel so that Radia’s wind power can power the production of low-cost green hydrogen. —Justin Worland, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

Panels typically last 30 to 35 years while turbines have a lifespan of about 30 years. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024

But on these two turbines, this is not part of the grant funding that's available right now. —The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2024

The energy released by the nuclear fission process is then used to heat water into steam, which is then used to spin a turbine and create energy. —Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 28 Mar. 2024

To achieve that, engineering oceanographer Daniel Harrison from Southern Cross University and his team fitted a research vessel with a turbine to pump water out of the ocean. —Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024

At night, the liquid carbon dioxide is expanded back into gas, which drives a turbine and produces electricity that is sent back to the grid. —Amos Zeeberg, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Latin turbin-, turbo top, whirlwind, whirl, from turba confusion — more at turbid

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing turbine

• gas turbine
• steam turbine
• wind turbine

Kids Definition

turbine

noun

tur·​bine ˈtər-bən 

-ˌbīn

: an engine whose central driving shaft is fitted with a series of blades spun around by the pressure of a fluid (as water, steam, or air)

Etymology

from French turbine "turbine," from Latin turbin-, turbo "top (for spinning), whirlwind"