Automobiles

Henry Ford's Model-T was first produced in October 1908. It was the cheapest car ever built, and it helped usher in a new age of transportation. Whether you're an automotive enthusiast or a total novice, check out these words connected to cars.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. acceleration
    (physics) a rate of increase of velocity
    It’s a car model that I really enjoy driving, with excellent handling and acceleration.
    – The Seattle Times
  2. accelerator
    a pedal that controls the throttle valve
    He likes the instant torque, the zero hesitation when he steps on the accelerator.
    – The Washington Times
  3. axle
    a shaft on which a wheel rotates
    The gas tank was mounted behind the rear axle, leaving it vulnerable in a crash.
    – The Seattle Times
  4. carburetor
    the part of a combustion engine that mixes air with gasoline
    The fuel injection delivers an even flow of gas to the engine, something that carburetors couldn’t always do.
    – Penn Live Patriot-News
  5. combustible
    capable of igniting and burning
    For enthusiasts, there was much ogling at under-the-hood advancements of the combustible engine.
    – The Verge
  6. cylinder
    a chamber within which a piston moves
    The engine in the base Cooper—which starts at $20,745—is also notable because it has just three cylinders.
    – Los Angeles Times
  7. jalopy
    a car that is old and unreliable
    They pass the carcasses of old jalopies, front ends fallen through the ice, doors riddled with bullet holes. Middlesex: A Novel
  8. lemon
    an object, especially a car, that is defective or deficient
    It was impossible to tell whether it was Mom’s driving or whether we had bought a lemon. The Glass Castle
  9. manufacture
    organized action of making of goods and services for sale
    While lighter plastic car parts might help cut vehicle emissions and increase the range of electric cars, doesn't their manufacture bring other environmental risks?
    – BBC
  10. modernize
    make repairs, renovations, revisions or adjustments to
    Uber is striving to modernize an entrenched industry and bring it, however reluctantly, into the digital age.
    – Forbes
  11. prototype
    a standard or typical example
    He added, “Our research vehicle prototype we think is the most perceptive car in the world.
    – The Verge
  12. suspension
    a mechanical system of springs or shock absorbers
    Because Jeeps have a looser suspension than most cars, their frames absorb every bump in the road.
    – Time
  13. throttle
    a valve that regulates the supply of fuel to the engine
    I hit the throttle—and then realize I’m out of fuel.
    – The Verge
  14. torque
    a twisting force
    There is an unwritten mandate that every time a new car model arrives, it has to have more horsepower and torque than its predecessor.
    – The Verge
  15. transmission
    the gears that transfer power from an automobile engine
    Built for quickness and nothing else, semi-automatic transmissions were far too jerky and unrefined for the road in the early 1990s.
    – The Verge
  16. vehicle
    a conveyance that transports people or objects
    Electric vehicles use rechargeable batteries containing cobalt, a byproduct of copper and nickel output, which boosts energy density and extends battery life.
    – Reuters
  17. velocity
    distance traveled per unit time in one direction
    It can also reach a top speed of 155 mph, up from the Model S’s peak velocity of 130 mph.
    – Time
Created on Fri Sep 29 09:34:28 EDT 2017 (updated Sat Dec 16 20:57:45 EST 2023)

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