glow plug

noun

: a heating element in a diesel-engine cylinder to preheat the air and facilitate starting

also : a similar element for ignition in other internal combustion engines

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Thanks to active thermal management and ceramic glow plugs, an engine block heater is not needed until minus-22 degrees F, Chevy said. —Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, 2 July 2019

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1941, in the meaning defined above