Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An instrument illustrating the expansive force of steam generated in a closed vessel, and escaping by a narrow aperture, said to have been invented by Hero of Alexandria in the second century b. c. It consisted of a hollow ball containing water and two arms bent in opposite directions, from the narrow apertures of which steam issued with such force that the air, reacting on it, caused a circular or rotary motion of the ball. Several attempts have been made to apply the principle of the æolipile to rotating machinery. Ely's æolipile is used for rotating a toy. It consists of a boiler, with an arm through which the steam is permitted to escape, placed upon a central upright pivot, and connected by a band with the drum of the toy to be rotated. Also spelled
eolipile and (by mistake) eolipyle. - n. A form of blast-lamp for use in chemical laboratories, in which an alcohol flame is deflected by a stream of alcohol vapor escaping from a jet, this vapor being produced from liquid alcohol in a little boiler over the original flame.
Wiktionary
- n. a steam engine powered by rocket propulsion due to escaping steam; which consists of a pressure vessel mounted on a bearing, with one or more tubes which exhaust steam tangentially to the rotation axis thus creating rotation.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. 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.
Etymologies
- From French éolipyle, from Latin Aeoli pylae ("doorway of Aeolus"). (Wiktionary)
Examples
“What Sharkey found was that Hero, who had designed everything from the aeolipile (the world's first steam-engine, see picture above) to "a vending machine that dispensed a shot of holy water in exchange for a coin," had designed a mobile theatre, complete with Dionysus and some female worshippers, all automata, which came in on a sort of self-propelled, self-guided cart.”
“If you look at the fact that there are more than ten times the number of people alive today than in da Vinci's time (and less before that), it is no wonder that this innate intelligence did not catch fire, and Hero's steam-powered aeolipile (for example) remained a curiosity.”
“Such is the vehemence of these attacks, that the unfortunate subjects of them are often driven backwards for great distances at immense speed, on the well-known principle of the aeolipile.”
“They produced the screw, the ratchet, the water wheel and the aeolipile, better known as Hero's turbine.”
“Freely is far from alone in describing Hero's steam-driven aeolipile as a "steam engine," but I disapprove of this term.”
“Hey there aeolipile .. now, now you'll be alright.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘aeolipile’.
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Glassmaking terms
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Tweets
Looking for tweets for aeolipile.
sionnach The things people got up to before "American Idol"... Nov 8, 2007
reesetee Originally used to describe a device, invented in the second century BC, in which a closed, water-filled vessel, when heated, was made to rotate by jets of steam issuing from one or more projecting, bent tubes. First described by Hero of Alexandria, but most surviving aeolipiles are Islamic. Sometimes spelled eolipile. Nov 8, 2007