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diesel Definition

die·sel (dē′zəl, -səl)

noun

  1. a type of internal-combustion engine that burns fuel oil: the ignition is brought about by heat resulting from air compression, instead of by an electric spark as in a gasoline engine
  2. a locomotive, truck, etc. powered by such an engine

Etymology: after R. Diesel (1858-1913), Ger inventor

intransitive verb

to continue to run after the ignition is turned off: said of an internal-combustion engine

diesel Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • spill: Slippery road -- 3.0 % Imagine a truck spills diesel onto a 30mph road.
  • power: The iconic American brand Cadillac is now building a diesel powered car for the first time ever.

Adjective modifier

  • 2.2-litre: Honda's 140PS 2.2-litre i-CTDi diesel continues; but as aerodynamic efficiency is improved by 12 per cent, fuel economy should improve.
  • Red: Red diesel is a rebated fuel for use in agricultural machinery and not for use in road vehicles.
  • red: At the moment leisure boaters in the UK fill up with red diesel, a fuel taxed at a lower rate than roadside diesel.
  • conventional: Biodiesel can also be mixed, at any ratio, with conventional petroleum diesel.
  • marine: Marine diesel contains higher sulfur content than land-based diesel fuel which translates into substantial sulfur dioxide emissions at sea.
  • twin: Mechanical power is by Beta 10 hp twin cylinder diesel.

Modifies a noun

  • locomotive: We rushed out of the shop in time to see four diesel locomotives hauling an enormous line of wagons to the East.
  • engine: Whether a gas turbine is quieter than a diesel engine, I do not know.
  • generator: The first vehicle contains a diesel generator for the train heating.
  • shunter: The westbound demolition trains in 1968/9 were hauled by class 24 diesel locomotives with diesel shunters being used on eastbound trains.
  • loco: The stuff is taken there by road and loaded into wagons which are propelled into the mountain by a Ruston diesel loco.
  • railcar: There is a small loco depot here, which also provides re-fuelling facilities for the line's diesel railcar and shunters.

Noun used with modifier

  • turbo: Nevertheless, British engined versions of the 600 soon appeared the first of which was the L-Series powered turbo diesel version.
  • sulfur: Diesel: Low sulfur diesel cut by 3 pence a liter from April.
  • bio: So when thinking of booking your next boating holiday, consider hiring a bio diesel boat to protect the natural environment you enjoy.
  • liter: There's a new 3 liter diesel, too, and come the spring a 4.8 liter motor as well.
  • four-cylinder: Refinement: noise suppression is not very successful in the four-cylinder diesel.
  • petroleum: The energy content of biodiesel is about 90 percent that of petroleum diesel.