GLOSSARY OF WORDS
USED IN TEXT OF THIS VOLUME

Quick Index (jump to first letter)
[[A]] [[B]] [[C]] [[D]] [[E]] [[F]] [[G]] [[H]]
[[I]] [[J]] [[K]] [[L]] [[M]] [[N]] [[O]] [[P]]
[[Q]] [[R]] [[S]] [[T]] [[U]] [[V]] [[W]]

[A]
Absolute.Independent; free from all limitations.
Amplitude.Greatness of extent; the state or quality of being sufficient.
Absorbent.A material which will take up a liquid.
Absorbing.Taking up, or taking in.
Absorption.The act or process of taking up or fully occupying.
Abutment.A wall; a stop.
Accuracy.Correctness; positiveness.
Accession.Added to; addition, or increase.
Accelerate.Quickened; hurried.
Accessible.Available; capable of being reached.
Accelerated.A quickening, as of process or action.
Actuating.Moved or incited by some motive.
Advance Spark.The term applied to the movement of the mechanism in an internal combustion engine, which will cause the electric spark to act before the crank has passed the dead center.
Aeration.To add air; to impregnate with oxygen.
Alkali.In chemistry it is known as a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, with certain chemicals. Anything which will neutralize an acid.
Allusion.Referring to; noticed.
Anomaly.A deviation from an ordinary rule; irregular.
Adhesion.To cling to; to stick together.
Adjustment.To arrange in proper order; to set into working condition.
Alternating current.A current which goes back and forth in opposite directions; unlike a direct current which flows continuously in one direction.
Ampere.The unit of current; the term in which strength of current is measured. An ampere is an electromotive force of one volt through a resistance of one ohm.
Amplitude.The state or quality of being broad, or full.
Analysis.The separation into its primitive or original parts.
Annular.Pertaining to or formed like a ring.
Armature.The part of a dynamo or motor which revolves, and on which the wire coils are wound.
Assuming.Taking on; considered to be correct or otherwise.
Asphaltum.A bituminous composition used for pavements, properly made from natural bitumen, or from asphalt rock.
Atmospheric.Referring to; noticed.
Available.Capable of being employed or used.
[B]
Bearings.The part in mechanism in which journals or spindlesrest and turn.
Bifurcated.In two parts; branching, like a fork.
Blow-off valve.A valve so arranged that at certain pressures the valve will automatically open and allow the steam to escape from the boiler.
Bombard.An assault; an attack by shot or shell.
Bonnet.The cap of a valve, which is so arranged that while it permits the valve stem to turn, will also prevent leakage.
Butterfly-valve.A form of valve which is usually flat, and adapted to open out, or turn within the throat or pipe.
[C]
Caloric.Pertaining to heat.
Cam.A rotating wheel, or piece, either regular or irregular, non-circular, or eccentric.
Carbon.A material like coke, ground or crushed. It required high heat to burn it, and it is used for the burning material in electric arc lamps.
Carbureter.The device used to mix air and gaseous fuel in aninternal combustion engine.
Carbonized.Put into a charred form; coke is carbonized coal;charcoal is carbonized wood.
Carbureted.Air or gas to which has been added the gaseous product of petroleum, or some distillate.
Centripetal.That which draws inwardly, or to the center, like the gravitational action of the earth.
Centrifugal.That which throws outwardly; the opposite of centripetal.
Check valve.A form of valve which will permit liquids to freely flow in one direction, but which will open automatically, so as to allow the liquid to flow in the opposite direction.
Chemical.Pertaining to the composition of matter; or relating to chemistry.
Chambered.Having compartments, or divided up into recesses.
Circumference.Around the outside.
Circularly.Around; about the circumference.
Circulation.The movement of water to and fro through conduits.
Clearance.The space at the head of a cylinder within which the steam or gases are compressed by the piston.
Classification.To put in order in a systematic way.
Coincide.To correspond with identity of parts.
Cohesion.To stick together. The attraction of material substances of the same kind for each other.
Coöperate.To work together harmoniously.
Compounding.Composed of or produced by the union of two or more parts, or elements.
Complicated.Very much involved; not simple.
Commutator.The revolving part on the armature of a dynamo or motor, which is divided up into a multiplicity of insulated plates, which are connected with the coils of the wire around the armature.
Combustion.Burning; the action of the unity of oxygen with any substance, which causes it to be destroyed or changed.
Commodity.Any product, or kind of goods.
Concaved.Hollowed.
Condensation.The change from a gaseous to a liquid or solid state.
Condenser.An apparatus which converts a gas into a liquid.
Concentric.A line which at any point is at the same distance from a common center.
Conductor.A substance which will convey either heat or electricity from one end to the other.
Conical.In the form of a cone.
Conically.In the form of a cone.
Conduit.A trough, tube, or other contrivance, which will convey liquids or gases from place to place.
Conduction.The capacity to transmit from one point to another.
Connecting Rod.That part of mechanism which connects the piston rod with the crank.
Conserve.To take care of; to use judiciously.
Constant.Being the same thing at all times; not varying.
Contrivance.Any mechanism, or device which will serve a certain purpose.
Contradistinction.That which is opposite to, comparatively; taken in conjunction with for the purpose of comparison.
Cornish.A form of boiler which has the fire tubes within the water space.
Contact Breaker.A device which has the current normally in circuit, and is so arranged that the circuit is broken at certain intervals, and again immediately reëstablished.
Co-relate.Belonging to; having reference to the same order.
Conventional.The regular manner or method.
Contact Maker.A device for making contacts in an electric circuit at regular intervals.
Convolution.The turns or twists taken. The changes or movement or the peculiar flow of a liquid.
Control.Handling with regularity; The act of guiding.
Contracted.Made smaller.
Contingency.An event; under certain conditions.
Counteract.To antagonize; to so act as to go against.
Converting.Changing; to put in an opposite condition.
Cylindrical.In the form of a cylinder; barrel-shaped.
Cyclopedia.A work which gives, in alphabetical order, the explanations of terms and subjects.
Cycle.A period extending over a certain time; a certain order of events.
[D]
Dead Center.That point in the turn of a crank where the piston has no effective pull in either direction.
Deënergize.To take power away from.
Deflecting.To glance off; to change the regular or orderly course.
Demagnetized.To take magnetism away from.
Deterioration.To take away from; to grow smaller; to lessen; to depreciate in quality.
Deviate.To avoid; to get around; not going or doing in the regular way.
Diagram.A mechanical plan or outline, as distinguished from a perspective drawing.
Diametrically.Across or through the object; through the center.
Dioxide.An oxide containing two atoms of oxygen to the molecule.
Direct current.An electric current which flows continuously in onedirection.
Dissipated.Changed, or entirely dispensed with; usually applied to a condition where materials or substances are scattered.
Distributer.A piece of mechanism in an electric circuit, which switches the current from one part to the other.
Dissect.To take apart.
Dominating.Overpowering; having greatest power.
Diverse.Different; unlike.
Dry Cell.A battery in which the electrolyte is not in a fluid state.
Duct.Either an open trough or conduit, or a closed path for the movement of gases or liquids.
Dynamo.A mechanical device for the purpose of generating electricity.
[E]
Eccentric.A wheel having its perimeter so formed that the center is not in the exact middle portion.
Economy.Prudence; carefulness; not disposed to be excessive.
Efficiency.Well adapted for the situation; mechanism which will do the work perfectly, or cheaply.
Effectiveness.Well done; to the best advantage.
Ejecting.Throwing out; sending forth.
Elastic.That quality of material which tends to cause it to return to its original shape when distorted.
Elementary.Primitive; the first; in the simplest state.
Electric arc.A term applied to the current which leaps across the slightly separated ends of an electric conductor.
Electricity.An agent, incapable of being seen, but which produces great energy.
Electrolyte.The agent, or material in a battery, usually a liquid, which the current passes through in going from one electrode to the other.
Elliptical.A form which might be expressed by the outline shape of an egg, measured from end to end.
Emolument.Pay; remuneration; the amount received for employmentof any kind.
Emission.To send out from; a sending or putting out.
Energy.Force; power.
Essential.The main thing; the important element.
Evaporate.To convert into vapor, usually by heat.
Exhaust.The discharge part of an engine, or other apparatus.
Excessive.Too much; more than is required.
Expansion.Enlarged; the occupying of a greater space.
Explicit.Particularly definite; carefully explained and understood.
External.Outside; the outer surface.
[F]
Facilitating.Helping; aiding in anything.
Factor.An element in a problem.
Fahrenheit.One of the standards of heat measurement. A thermometer scale, in which the freezing point of water is 32, and the boiling temperature is 212.
Fascinating.Attractiveness; capacity to allure.
Feathered.Applied to the shape of an article, or to a rib on the side of a shaft, which is designed to engage with a groove.
Fertilizer.Material for enriching soil and facilitating the growth of vegetables.
Field.A term applied to the windings and the pole pieces of a dynamo or motor, which magnetically influence the armature.
Focal.The point; the place to which all the elements or forces tend.
Foot pounds.The unit of mechanical work, being the work done in moving one pound through a distance of one foot.
Four-cycle.A gasoline engine, in which the ignition of the compressed hydro-carbon gases takes place every other revolution.
Formation.The arrangement of any mechanism, or a series of elements.
Formula.The recipe for the doing of a certain thing; a direction.
Friction.A retarding motion; the prevention of a free movement.
Function.The qualities belonging to an article, machine or thing; that which a person is capable of performing.
Fundamental.The basis; the groundwork of a thing.
[G]
Gaseous.Of the nature of a gas.
Gearing.Usually applied to two or more sets of toothed wheels which coöperate with each other.
Generating.Producing; manufacturing; bringing out of.
Globules.The small particles of liquids; or the molecules comprising fluids.
Gravitation.The force of the earth which causes all things to move toward it; the attraction of mass for mass.
[H]
Heart Wheel.A wheel having the outline of a heart.
Helical.A spirally-wound form.
High Tension.A term applied to a current of electricity, which has a very high voltage, but low amperage.
Horizontal.Level, like the surface of water; at right angles to a line which points to the center of the earth.
Horse Power.The unit of the rate of work, equal to 33,000 pounds lifted one foot in one minute.
Hydro-carbon.A gas made from the vaporization of crude petroleum or of its distillates.
Hydrogen.One of the original elements. The lightest of all gases.
[I]
Ignite.To set on fire.
Ignition.The term applied to the firing of a charge of gas in a gas or gasoline engine.
Impact.A blow; a striking force.
Impregnated.To instill; to add to.
Impulse.A natural tendency to do a certain thing; determination to act in a certain way through some influence.
Impinge.To strike against; usually to contact with at an angle.
Incomparable.Too good or great to measure.
Inclined.Not level; leaning; not horizontal.
Induction.The peculiar capacity of an electric current to pass from one conductor to another through the air.
Indication.That which shows; to point out.
Injector.A device whereby the pressure of the steam in a boiler will force water into the boiler.
Initially.At first; the original act.
Injection.To put into; to eject from an apparatus, into some other element.
Insulated.So covered as to prevent loss of current by contact with outside substances or materials.
Intimate.Close to; on good terms with.
Integral.A complete whole; containing all the parts.
Instinct.Knowledge within; something which influences conduct or action.
Interstellar.The space beyond the earth; that portion of the heavens occupied by the stars.
Internal.Within; that portion of mechanism which is inside.
Interposing.To step into; to place between, or in the midst of.
Intensity.Fierce; strong; above the ordinary.
Interrupted.To stop; to take advantage of.
Interstices.The spaces in between.
Instantaneous.Immediately; at once; without waiting.
Intricate.Difficult; not easy.
Inquisitive.The desire to inquire into.
[J]
Jacketing.To coat or cover on the outside.
Jump Spark.One of the methods of igniting hydro-carbon gases. A current of sufficiently high voltage is used to cause the current to jump across the space between the separated ends of a conductor.
[K]
Kinetic.Consisting in or depending on motion.
[L]
Latent.That which is within itself.
Lateral.Branching out from the sides; usually applied as the meaning for the direction which is at right angles to a fore and aft direction.
Lines of force.Applied to electricity, air, water, or any moving element, which has a well directed movement in a definite direction.
Low Tension.In methods for igniting hydro-carbon charges, any circuiting which has a low voltage.
Lubrication.The oiling of mechanical parts to reduce friction.
[M]
Mangle.A machine for smoothing out clothing, goods, etc.
Magneto.A dynamo which has the field pieces, or poles made of permanent magnets.
Magnetism.That quality, or agency by virtue of which certain bodies are productive of magnetic force.
Manifestation.Showing or explaining a state of things; an outward show.
Make and Break.An ignition system, which provides for throwing in and cutting out an electric circuit.
Manifold.A system of piping whereby the exhausts of a gasoline engine are brought together into one common discharge.
Manganese.A hard, brittle, grayish white metallic element, usedin the manufacture of paints and of glass, and alsofor alloying metals.
Manually.Doing things by hand; muscular activity.
Material.Substances and parts from which articles are made.
Mechanically.Doing things by means of machinery, or in some regular order.
Mobility.The capacity to move about.
Multiple.A figure used a certain number of times, is said to be a multiple of a number, if it will divide the number equally. Thus 4 is a multiple of 16; 3 is a multiple of 9, and so on.
[N]
Neutral.Neither; not in favor of any party or thing.
Normal.As usual; in the regular way; without varying from the ordinary manner.
[O]
Ohm's Law.In electricity, it is expressed as follows: 1. The current strength is equal to the electromotive force divided by its resistance. 2. The electromotive force is equal to the current strength multiplied by the resistance. 3. The resistance is equal to the electromotive force divided by the current strength.
Oscillating.Moving to and fro, like a pendulum.
Orifice.An opening; a hole.
Organism.Any part of the body, or any small germ or animalcule.
Oxidation.The action of air or oxygen on any material, is called oxidation. Thus rust on iron is called oxidation.
Oxygen.A colorless, tasteless gas, the most important in nature, called the acid-maker of the universe, as it unites with all substances, and produces either an acid, an alkali, or a neutral compound.
[P]
Parallel.Two lines are said to be parallel, when they are lying side by side and are equally distant from each other from end to end.
Pendulum.A bar suspended at one end to a pivot pin, and having its lower end free to swing to and fro.
Penstock.A reservoir designed to receive and discharge water into a turbine or other form of water wheel.
Permanent.That which will last; not easily stopped.
Pestle.An implement of stone or metal used for breaking and grinding up chemicals, and other material in a mortar.
Petroleum.A liquid fuel product, found in many places, its component parts being about 15 per cent. hydrogen and 85 per cent. carbon.
Perimeter.The outer rim, or circle.
Piston.That part of an engine which is attached to the piston rod.
Pinion.A small gear wheel driven by a larger gear wheel.
Platinum.An exceedingly hard metal, used in places for electrical work where the current is liable to burn out ordinary conductors.
Polarity.The quality of having opposite poles.
Pre-heating.To heat before the ordinary process of heating commences.
Ponderous.Large; heavy; difficult to handle.
Port.In nautical parlance the left side of a vessel; the larboard side; also an opening, or a conduit for the transmission of gas or liquid.
Pop valve.A valve designed to open and allow escape of the imprisoned gases when the latter reach a certain pressure.
Potential.The power; the term used in electricity to denote the energy in a motor.
Plurality.More than one; many.
Precipice.A high and very steep cliff.
Pressure.The act of one body placed in contact with another and acting against it or against each other.
Precaution.Taking great care; being assured of safety.
Primary battery.A cell, or a number of cells, made of pairs of metallic couples, immersed in an electrolyte of either an acid or an alkali.
Proney Brake. A device for testing machinery and determining power, by means of friction.
Primeval.The earliest; the first; of a low order.
Proportion.The relation of one thing or number, to another; comparativemerit.
Proximity.Close to; near at hand.
[Q]
Quadruple.Four times.
[R]
Rack.A bar having a number of teeth, to serve as a step or measure for a pawl, or a toothed wheel.
Radial.Extending out from the center.
Radiation.The property of many substances to give forth heat or cold, or to disperse it.
Rarified.Made less than the normal pressure, as air, which is not as dense at a high as at a low altitude.
Receiver.In telephone apparatus, that part of the mechanism which transmits the message to the ear.
Rectilinear.A right line; a straight direction forwardly.
Reaction.A force which is counter to a movement in another direction.
Refrigeration.Cooling process; the art of freezing.
Refined.Purifying; improved.
Re-heating.The process of further heating or increasing the temperature during the progress of the work.
Requisite.The necessary part; the requirement.
Residue.The balance; what is left over.
Resistance.Opposition; against.
Reciprocating.One for the other; moving from one side to the other.
Refinement.Chastity of thought, taste, manner, or actions.
Retort.A vigorous answer. A receptacle adapted to stand a high heat.
Revolution.Turning, like the earth in its orbit.
Rock Shaft.A shaft which turns part of its rotation in one direction, and then turns in the other direction.
Rotation.The turning of a wheel on its axle; the rotation of the earth on its axis each day. Distinguishing from revolution which is a swinging of the entire body of the earth around the sun in its orbit.
[S]
Sal-Ammoniac.A white metallic element.
Scavenging.To clean out; to scour.
Secondary Battery.A battery which is charged with a current, and then gives forth an electric current of a definite amount. It is also known as an accumulator, since its elements continue to accumulate electric energy.
Secondary coil.In induction coils two wire wrappings are necessary, the first winding being, usually, of heavy wire, and called the primary; the second winding is of finer wire, and is called the secondary coil.
Sector.An A-shaped piece cut from a disk; distinguish this from a segment, which is a part cut off from a disk by a single straight line.
Secondary.Occupying a second place; not of the first kind, or place.
Segment.A part cut off from a disk, by a single line; the part of a circle included within a chord and its arc.
Sewerage.The conveyance of waste matter from a building.
Sinuous.Systematic draining by means of pipes or conduits. Characterized by bends, or curves, or a serpentine curving, or wave-like outline.
Slide Valve.A form, which moves along a flat surface through which the duct is formed.
Solution.A liquid having therein different substances mixed together.
Sprayer.To eject; to send forth in small particles.
Stability.Fixed; strength to stand without support.
Stupendous.Immense; large; much beyond the largest of the kind.
Standard.A sample of the measure or extent; a type or a model.
Stratify.To deposit, form, or range in strata.
Super Heating.To heat up beyond the ordinary or normal point.
Subtle.Crafty; made of light material; daintily constructed.
Supersede.In place of; to take the place of.
Susceptible.Capable of being changed or influenced.
Suspension.Hanging; floating of a body in fluid.
Suction.The production of a partial vacuum in a space connected with a fluid under pressure.
[T]
Terminal.The end; the last part.
Technical.Specially or exclusively pertaining to some art or subject.
Theoretical.That which is speculative, as distinguished from practical.
Throttle Valve.A device which is designed to cut off the flow of a fluid.
Throttling.The closing of a port; the cutting down of a supply.
Transformation.A complete change; made over into something else.
Transmit.To convey; to send to another part.
Transference.To convey to another part; the change from one thing to another.
Transferred.Put over.
Triple.Three; thrice.
Turbine.To turn; a form of water wheel and steam engine, where the fluid impinges against the blades arranged around the perimeter of the wheel.
Tubular.Hollowed; like a pipe.
Two-Cycle.A gasoline engine, in which the compressed hydro-carbon gases are fired every turn of the crank shaft.
Typical.The nature or characteristics of a type.
[U]
Undershot.A type of wheel in which the water shoots past and against the blades on the lower side.
Unison.Together; conjointly; acting with each other.
Universally.All over the world; throughout all space.
Utility.Use; that which is valuable or of service.
[V]
Vacuum.That part from which all material is taken; in a limited sense, air, which has less density than the normal.
Vaporizing.To convert into gas, usually by heat.
Variable.With differing characteristics; changeable.
Venturi Tube.A form of tube which has a contracted part between its ends.
Vertical.In the direction of a line which points to the center of the earth.
Vibrator Coil.In electrical devices used in the ignition systems of certain types of gasoline engines, a winding is provided on a metallic core, which has an armature that is made so it will vibrate.
Volt.The pressure of an electric current; the unit of electromotiveforce.
Voltage.Electromotive force as expressed in volts.
Volt Meter.An instrument for indicating the voltage of an electric circuit.
[W]
Watt.The electrical unit of the rate of working in an electric circuit, the rate being the electromotive force of one volt, and the intensity of one ampere.
Weight.The measure of the force toward the center of the earth, due to gravity.
Winnowed.Taken out; sifted from.
Wiping Bar.A metallic piece which rests against a moving wheel and designed to take a current from or to transmit it to the wheel.

The Motor Boys Series

(Trade Mark, Reg. U. S. Pat. Of.)

By CLARENCE YOUNG