Turbine: Definition, Usage & Power Generation

Meaning 1：power-generating rotor (turbine)

turbine 🔊

/ˈtɜːrbaɪn/

A machine that spins a wheel or rotor using fast-moving water, steam, gas, or air to produce continuous power.

Turbine diagram: A wind turbine with rotating blades in a field generating power from wind energy.

power-generating rotor 🔊

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/ˈpaʊər ˈdʒɛnəreɪtɪŋ ˈroʊtər/

A device with blades attached to a central rotor that spins when pushed by a fast-moving fluid (like water, steam, or air), converting that kinetic energy into mechanical power.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'turbo' (whirl, spinning top) + suffix '-ine' (belonging to). Literally 'a thing that spins'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a TURBo engine that spins INside to generate power. TURB + INE.

📖 Example

The turbine in the wind farm turns steadily as the breeze blows, providing clean energy to nearby homes. 🔊 The turbine in the wind farm turns steadily as the breeze blows, providing clean energy to nearby homes.

🔗 Collocations

wind turbine – A turbine that generates power from wind.

steam turbine – A turbine driven by high-pressure steam, common in power plants.

gas turbine – A turbine that uses combustion gases to spin its blades, used in jet engines and power stations.

🔄 Synonyms

rotor (n.) – The rotating part of a machine, like the central part of a turbine.

dynamo (n.) – A device that generates electrical power, often involving rotation, but more specific to electricity generation than 'turbine'.

generator (n.) – A broader term for a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy; a turbine is often the mechanical part that drives a generator.

🌱 Derivatives

turbofan (n.) – A type of jet engine combining a turbine-driven fan with a jet exhaust.

turboprop (n.) – An aircraft engine combining a turbine with a propeller.

turboshaft (n.) – A turbine engine designed to produce shaft power (e.g., for helicopters) rather than thrust.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'turbine' originates from the Latin 'turbo, turbinis', meaning a spinning top or whirlwind. It was first used in its modern engineering sense by French engineer Claude Burdin in the early 19th century to describe a hydraulic engine.