Turbine - Turmoil
Prev Next[
Webster]
Turbine (tûrbĭn), n. [L. turbo, -inis, that which spins or whirls round, whirl.] 1. A water wheel, commonly horizontal, variously constructed, but usually having a series of curved floats or buckets, against which the water acts by its impulse or reaction in flowing either outward from a central chamber, inward from an external casing, or from above downward, etc.; -- also called turbine wheel.
[ Webster]
☞ In some turbines, the water is supplied to the wheel from below, instead of above. Turbines in which the water flows in a direction parallel to the axis are called parallel-flow turbines.
[ Webster]
2. A type of rotary engine with a set of rotating vanes, diagonally inclined and often curved, attached to a central spindle, and obtaining its motive force from the passage of a fluid, as water, steam, combusted gases, or air, over the vanes. Water turbines are frequently used for generating power at hydroelectric power stations, and steam turbines are used for generating power from coal- or oil-fired electric power stations. Turbines are also found in jet engines, and in some automobile engines. In the dictionary, the turbine was further decribed thus: “There are practically only two distinct kinds, and they are typified in the de Laval and the Parsons and Curtis turbines. The Coloq. de Laval turbine is an impulse turbine, in which steam impinges upon revolving blades from a flared nozzle. The flare of the nozzle causes expansion of the steam, and hence changes its pressure energy into kinetic energy. An enormous velocity (30,000 revolutions per minute in the 5 H. P. size) is requisite for high efficiency, and the machine has therefore to be geared down to be of practical use. Some recent development of this type include turbines formed of several de Laval elements compounded as in the ordinary expansion engine. The Parsons turbine is an impulse-and-reaction turbine, usually of the axial type. The steam is constrained to pass successively through alternate rows of fixed and moving blades, being expanded down to a condenser pressure of about 1 lb. per square inch absolute. The Curtis turbine is somewhat simpler than the Parsons, and consists of elements each of which has at least two rows of moving blades and one row of stationary. The bucket velocity is lowered by fractional velocity reduction. Both the Parsons and Curtis turbines are suitable for driving dynamos and steamships directly. In efficiency, lightness, and bulk for a given power, they compare favorably with reciprocating engines.”
[Webster Suppl. +PJC]
Turbinella (?), pr. n. [NL., dim. fr. L. turbo, -inis, a top.] (Zoöl.) A genus of large marine gastropods having a thick heavy shell with conspicuous folds on the columella.
[ Webster]
Turbinite (?), n. [NL. Turbo, the generic name, fr. L. turbo a whirl, top: cf. F. turbinite.] (Paleon.) A petrified shell resembling a member of the genus Turbo. [R.]
[ Webster]
Turbinoid (?), a. [See , and .] (Zoöl.) Like or pertaining to Turbo or the family Turbinidæ.
[ Webster]
Turbit (?), n. [Cf. .]
[ Webster]
1. (Zoöl.) The turbot.
[ Webster]
2. (Zoöl.) A variety of the domestic pigeon, remarkable for its short beak.
[ Webster]
Turbite (?), n. (Paleon.) A fossil turbo.
[ Webster]
Turbith (?), n. [F., fr. Per. See .] See .
[ Webster]
turbo (?), n. [L. turbo, -inis, a top. See .] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous marine gastropods of the genus Turbo or family Turbinidæ, usually having a turbinate shell, pearly on the inside, and a calcareous operculum.
[ Webster]
turbo- (?), n. Sontaining or using a turbine; -- a combining form; as, turbojet.
[ Webster]
Turbogenerator (?), n. [See , and .] An electric generator or dynamo which is combined on one frame with a turbomotor, by which it is driven.
[Webster Suppl.]
Turbot (?), n. [F.; -- probably so named from its shape, and from L. turbo a top, a whirl.] (Zoöl.) (a) A large European flounder (Rhombus maximus) highly esteemed as a food fish. It often weighs from thirty to forty pounds. Its color on the upper side is brownish with small roundish tubercles scattered over the surface. The lower, or blind, side is white. Called also bannock fluke. (b) Any one of numerous species of flounders more or less related to the true turbots, as the American plaice, or summer flounder (see ), the halibut, and the diamond flounder (Hypsopsetta guttulata) of California. (c) The filefish; -- so called in Bermuda. (d) The trigger fish.
[ Webster]
Coloq. Spotted turbot . See .
[ Webster]
Turbulence (?), n. [L. turbulentia: cf. F. turbulence.] The quality or state of being turbulent; a disturbed state; tumult; disorder; agitation. Shak.
[ Webster]
The years of . . . warfare and turbulence which ensued.
Southey.
[ Webster]
Syn. -- Agitation; commotion; tumult; tumultuousness; termagance; unruliness; insubordination; rioting.
[ Webster]
Turbulency (?), n. Turbulence.
[ Webster]
What a tale of terror now its turbulency tells!
Poe.
[ Webster]
Turbulent (?), a. [L. turbulentus, fr. turba disorder, tumult: cf. F. turbulent. See .] 1. Disturbed; agitated; tumultuous; roused to violent commotion; as, the turbulent ocean.
[ Webster]
Calm region once,
And full of peace, now tossed and turbulent.
Milton.
[ Webster]
2. Disposed to insubordination and disorder; restless; unquiet; refractory; as, turbulent spirits.
[ Webster]
Sagacious, bold, and turbulent of wit.
Dryden.
[ Webster]
3. Producing commotion; disturbing; exciting.
[ Webster]
Whose heads that turbulent liquor fills with fumes.
Milton.
[ Webster]
Syn. -- Disturbed; agitated; tumultuous; riotous; seditious; insubordinate; refractory; unquiet.
[ Webster]
Turbulently, adv. In a turbulent manner.
[ Webster]
Turcism (?), n. A mode of speech peculiar to the Turks; a Turkish idiom or expression; also, in general, a Turkish mode or custom. Same as .
[ Webster]
Turcoman (?), pr. n.; pl. Turcomans (�). 1. A member of a tribe of Turanians inhabiting a region east of the Caspian Sea.
[ Webster]
2. A Turcoman carpet.
[ Webster]
Coloq. Turcoman carpet or Coloq. Turcoman rug , a kind of carpet or rug supposed to be made by the Turcomans.
[ Webster]
Turdiformes (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. turdus a thrush + forma form.] (Zoöl.) A division of singing birds including the thrushes and allied kinds.
[ Webster]
Turdus (?), pr. n. [L., a thrush.] (Zoöl.) A genus of singing birds including the true thrushes.
[ Webster]
Tureen (?), n. [F. terrine, L. terra earth. See .] A large, deep vessel for holding soup, or other liquid food, at the table. [Written also terreen.]
[ Webster]
Tureenful (?), n.; pl. Tureenfuls (�). As much as a tureen can hold; enough to fill a tureen.
[ Webster]
Turf (tûrf), n.; pl. Turfs (tûrfs), Obs. Turves (tûrvz). [AS. turf; akin to D. turf peat, G. torf, OHG. zurba turf, Sw. & Icel. torf turf, peat, Dan. törv, Skr. darbha a kind of grass, a tuft of grass. √242.] 1. That upper stratum of earth and vegetable mold which is filled with the roots of grass and other small plants, so as to adhere and form a kind of mat; sward; sod.
[ Webster]
At his head a grass-green turf.
Shak.
[ Webster]
The Greek historian sets her in the field on a high heap of turves.
Milton.
[ Webster]
2. Peat, especially when prepared for fuel. See .
[ Webster]
3. Race course; horse racing; -- preceded by the. “We . . . claim the honors of the turf.” Cowper.
[ Webster]
☞ Turf is often used adjectively, or to form compounds which are generally self-explaining; as, turf ashes, turf cutter or turf-cutter, turf pit or turf-pit, turf-built, turf-clad, turf-covered, etc.
[ Webster]
Coloq. Turf ant (Zoöl.), a small European ant (Formica flava) which makes small ant-hills on heaths and commons. -- Coloq. Turf drain , a drain made with turf or peat. -- Coloq. Turf hedge , a hedge or fence formed with turf and plants of different kinds. -- Coloq. Turf house , a house or shed formed of turf, common in the northern parts of Europe. -- Coloq. Turf moss a tract of turfy, mossy, or boggy land. -- Coloq. Turf spade , a spade for cutting and digging turf, longer and narrower than the common spade.
[ Webster]
Turf, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Turfed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Turfing.] To cover with turf or sod; as, to turf a bank, or the border of a terrace. A. Tucker.
[ Webster]
Turfen (?), a. Made of turf; covered with turf.
[ Webster]
Turfiness (?), n. Quality or state of being turfy.
[ Webster]
Turfing, n. The act or process of providing or covering with turf.
[ Webster]
Coloq. Turfing iron , Coloq. Turfing spade , an implement for cutting, and paring off, turf.
[ Webster]
Turfite (tûrfīt), n. A votary of the turf, or race course; hence, sometimes, a blackleg. [Colloq.] Thackeray.
[ Webster]
Turfless (tûrflĕs), a. Destitute of turf.
[ Webster]
Turfman (tûrfm�n), n.; pl. Turfmen (tûrfm�n). A turfite; a votary of the turf, or race course. [Colloq.]
[ Webster]
Turfy (tûrf�), a. [Compar. Turfier (?); superl. Turfiest.] 1. Abounding with turf; made of, or covered with, turf. “The turfy mountains.” Shak.
[ Webster]
2. Having the nature or appearance of turf.
[ Webster]
3. Of or pertaining to the turf, or horse racing.
[ Webster]
Turgent (tûrj�nt), a. [L. turgens, -entis, p. pr. of turgere to swell.] 1. Rising into a tumor, or a puffy state; swelling; tumid; as, turgent humors.
[ Webster]
2. Inflated; bombastic; turgid; pompous.
[ Webster]
Recompensed with turgent titles.
Burton.
[ Webster]
Turgesce (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Turgesced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Turgescing (?).] [L. turgescere, v. incho. fr. turgere to swell.] To become turgid; to swell or be inflated. [R.]
[ Webster]
{ Turgescence (?), Turgescency (?), } n. [Cf. F. turgescence. See .] 1. The act of swelling, or the state of being swollen, or turgescent. Sir T. Browne.
[ Webster]
2. Empty magnificence or pompousness; inflation; bombast; turgidity. Johnson.
[ Webster]
Turgescent (?), a. [L. turgescens, -entis, p. pr. of turgescere: cf. F. turgescent. See .] Becoming turgid or inflated; swelling; growing big.
[ Webster]
Turgid (tûrjĭd), a. [L. turgidus, from turgere to swell.] 1. Distended beyond the natural state by some internal agent or expansive force; swelled; swollen; bloated; inflated; tumid; -- especially applied to an enlarged part of the body; as, a turgid limb; turgid fruit.
[ Webster]
A bladder . . . held near the fire grew turgid.
Boyle.
[ Webster]
2. Swelling in style or language; vainly ostentatious; bombastic; pompous; as, a turgid style of speaking.
[ Webster]
-- Turgidly (#), adv. -- Turgidness, n.
[ Webster]
Turgidity (?), n. The quality or state of being turgid.
[ Webster]
Turgidous (tûrjĭdŭs), a. Turgid. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
[ Webster]
Turio (?), n.; pl. Turiones (#). [L.] (Bot.) A shoot or sprout from the ground. Gray.
[ Webster]
Turiole (?), n. The golden oriole. [Prov. Eng.]
[ Webster]
Turion (?), n. (Bot.) Same as .
[ Webster]
Turioniferous (?), a. [L. turio a sprout + -ferous.] Producing shoots, as asparagus. Barton.
[ Webster]
Turk (tûrk), n. [Per. Turk; probably of Tartar origin: cf. F. Turc.] 1. A member of any of numerous Tartar tribes of Central Asia, etc.; esp., one of the dominant race in Turkey.
[ Webster]
2. A native or inhabitant of Turkey.
[ Webster]
3. A Muslim; esp., one living in Turkey. [Archaic]
[ Webster]
It is no good reason for a man's religion that he was born and brought up in it; for then a Turk would have as much reason to be a Turk as a Christian to be a Christian.
Chillingworth.
[ Webster]
4. (Zoöl.) The plum weevil. See , and Plum weevil, under .
[ Webster]
Coloq. Turk's cap . (Bot.) (a) Turk's-cap lily. See under . (b) A tulip. (c) A plant of the genus Melocactus; Turk's head. See Melon cactus, under . -- Coloq. Turk's head . (a) (Naut.) A knot of turbanlike form worked on a rope with a piece of small line. R. H. Dana, Jr. (b) (Bot.) See Turk's cap (c) above. -- Coloq. Turk's turban (Bot.), a plant of the genus Ranunculus; crowfoot.
[ Webster]
Turkeis (?), a. [Cf. .] Turkish. [Obs.] Chaucer.
[ Webster]
Turkey (?), pr. n. [Cf. 2d .] A country in the southeast of Europe and southwest of Asia.
[ Webster]
Coloq. Turkey carpet , a superior kind of carpet made in Asia Minor and adjoining countries, having a deep pile and composed of pure wool with a weft of different material. It is distinguishable by its coloring and patterns from similar carpets made in India and elsewhere. -- Coloq. Turkey oak . (Bot.) See . -- Coloq. Turkey red . (a) A brilliant red imparted by madder to cottons, calicoes, etc., the fiber of which has been prepared previously with oil or other fatty matter. (b) Cloth dyed with this red. -- Coloq. Turkey sponge . (Zoöl.) See Toilet sponge, under . -- Coloq. Turkey stone , a kind of oilstone from Turkey; novaculite; -- called also Turkey oilstone.
[ Webster]
Turkey (tûrkē), n.; pl. Turkeys (#). [So called because it was formerly erroneously believed that it came originally from Turkey: cf. F. Turquie Turkey. See .] (Zoöl.) Any large American gallinaceous bird belonging to the genus Meleagris, especially the North American wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), and the domestic turkey, which was probably derived from the Mexican wild turkey, but had been domesticated by the Indians long before the discovery of America.
[ Webster]
☞ The Mexican wild turkey is now considered a variety of the northern species (var. Mexicana). Its tail feathers and coverts are tipped with white instead of brownish chestnut, and its flesh is white. The Central American, or ocellated, turkey (Meleagris ocellata) is more elegantly colored than the common species. See under . The Australian, or native, turkey is a bustard (Choriotis australis). See under .
[ Webster]
Coloq. Turkey beard (Bot.), a name of certain American perennial liliaceous herbs of the genus Xerophyllum. They have a dense tuft of hard, narrowly linear radical leaves, and a long raceme of small whitish flowers. Also called turkey's beard. -- Coloq. Turkey berry (Bot.), a West Indian name for the fruit of certain kinds of nightshade (Solanum mammosum, and Solanum torvum). -- Coloq. Turkey bird (Zoöl.), the wryneck. So called because it erects and ruffles the feathers of its neck when disturbed. [Prov. Eng.] -- Coloq. Turkey buzzard (Zoöl.), a black or nearly black buzzard (Cathartes aura), abundant in the Southern United States. It is so called because its naked and warty head and neck resemble those of a turkey. It is noted for its high and graceful flight. Called also turkey vulture. -- Coloq. Turkey cock (Zoöl.), a male turkey. -- Coloq. Turkey hen (Zoöl.), a female turkey. -- Coloq. Turkey pout (Zoöl.), a young turkey. [R.] -- Coloq. Turkey vulture (Zoöl.), the turkey buzzard.
[ Webster]
Turkeys (?), a. Turkish. [Obs.] Chaucer.
[ Webster]
Turkey-trot (?), n. An eccentric ragtime dance, danced with the feet well apart and with a characteristic rise on the ball of the foot, followed by a drop upon the heel. The original form, owing to the positions assumed by the dancers, is offensively suggestive. Similar dances are the Coloq. bunny hug and Coloq. grizzly bear , so called in allusion to the movements and the positions assumed by the partners in dancing.
[Webster Suppl.]
Turkic (?), a. Turkish.
[ Webster]
Turkis (?), n. (Min.) Turquois. [Obs.]
[ Webster]
Turkish (?), pr. a. Of or pertaining to Turkey or the Turks. -- n. The language spoken by Turks, esp. that of the people of Turkey. -- Turkishly, adv. -- Turkishness, n.
[ Webster]
Turkism (?), n. A Turkish idiom or expression; also, in general, a Turkish mode or custom. Same as .
[Webster Suppl.]
Turkle (?), n. A turtle. [Obs. or Illiterate]
[ Webster]
Turko (?), n.; pl. Turkos (#). [F. turco.] One of a body of native Algerian tirailleurs in the French army, dressed as a Turk. [Written also Turco.]
[ Webster]
Turko-Iranian (?), pr. a. (Ethnol.) Designating, or pert. to, a mixed racial type including the Afghans, and characterized chiefly by stature above mean, fair complexion, dark, or sometimes gray, eyes, brachycephaly, and very long, prominent, and moderately narrow nose.
[Webster Suppl.]
Turko-Iranian, pr. n. A member of any race of the Turko-Iranian type.
[Webster Suppl.]
Turkois (?), n. & a. Turquoise.
[ Webster]
Turkoman (?), n.; pl. Turkomans (�). Same as .
[ Webster]
Turk's-head, n. 1. (Naut.) A knot of turbanlike form worked on a rope with a piece of small line.
[Webster Suppl.]
2. (a) The melon cactus. [West Indies] (b) Any of several species of Echinocactus. [California]
[Webster Suppl.]
3. A long-handled, round-headed broom for sweeping ceilings, etc. [Colloq. or Dial.]
[Webster Suppl.]
Turlupin (?), n. [F.] (Fr. Eccl. Hist.) One of the precursors of the Reformation; -- a nickname corresponding to Lollard, etc.
[ Webster]
Turm (?), n. [L. turma.] A troop; a company. [Obs. or Poetic]
[ Webster]
Legions and cohorts, turms of horse and wings.
Milton.
[ Webster]
Turmaline (?), n. (Min.) See .
[ Webster]
Turmeric (?), n. [F. terre-mérite, NL. terramerita, turmerica; apparently meaning, excellent earth, but perhaps a corruption of Ar. kurkum. Cf. .] 1. (Bot.) An East Indian plant of the genus Curcuma, of the Ginger family.
[ Webster]
2. The root or rootstock of the Curcuma longa. It is externally grayish, but internally of a deep, lively yellow or saffron color, and has a slight aromatic smell, and a bitterish, slightly acrid taste. It is used for a dye, a medicine, a condiment, and a chemical test.
[ Webster]
Turmeric, a. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to turmeric; resembling, or obtained from, turmeric; specif., designating an acid obtained by the oxidation of turmerol.
[ Webster]
Coloq. Turmeric paper (Chem.), paper impregnated with turmeric and used as a test for alkaline substances, by which it is changed from yellow to brown. -- Coloq. Turmeric root . (Bot.) (a) Bloodroot. (b) Orangeroot.
[ Webster]
Turmerol (?), n. [Turmeric + L. oleum oil.] (Chem.) Turmeric oil, a brownish yellow, oily substance extracted from turmeric by ligroin.
[ Webster]
Turmoil (tûrmoil) sometimes (tûrmoil), n. [Of uncertain origin; perhaps fr. OF. tremouille the hopper of a mill, trembler to tremble (cf. E. tremble); influenced by E. turn and moil.] Harassing labor; trouble; molestation by tumult; disturbance; worrying confusion.
[ Webster]
And there I'll rest, as after much turmoil,
A blessed soul doth in Elysium.
Shak.
[ Webster]
Prev Next
Concept Explore Home
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z