WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : ?*ol"i*pile
Part of Speech : ?*ol"i*pyle
Etymology : [L. aeolipilae; Aeolus god of the winds + pila a ball, or Gr. i. e., doorway of ?olus); cf. F. ?olipyle.]
Definition : Defn: An apparatus consisting chiefly of a closed vessel (as a globe or cylinder) with one or more projecting bent tubes, through which steam is made to pass from the vessel, causing it to revolve. [Written also eolipile.]

Note: Such an apparatus was first described by Hero of Alexandria about 200 years b. c. It has often been called the first steam engine.


Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913