Dictionary

spark plug en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio

Meanings

1. The part of some internal combustion engines which forms a high-voltage electric spark which ignites the fuel-air mixture to begin the power stroke. (Petrol engines have spark plugs. Diesel engines do not have them because the heat from their high compression ratios supplies the ignition.)
   • In the 21st century, it is not unusual for a set of spark plugs to last a decade or longer; gone are the days when changing the plugs annually was common.
   • With all engines using spark plugs it is comparatively easy to ascertain whether the ignition system is working properly. 1919 January 14, Practical hints on running a gas engine, United States Department of Agriculture:
2. (figuratively) Someone who is a driving force in new endeavours.
   • Steve Pincus, a Madison-area farmer who sells produce to L'Etoile, says admiringly of Odessa: "She's a spark plug. She's out there speaking out about sustainable agriculture and local food." 2003, Growing for Market: News and Ideas for Market Gardeners:
   • Mr. Santiago used a sparkplug to smash the driver’s side window. 2009 May 30, Al Baker, “Investigators Reviewing a Timeline of Seconds That Led to a Police Shooting”, in New York Times:
   • Helen is a real spark plug. We're lucky she's on the team.
3. A rod (for cylindrical secondaries) or sphere (for spherical secondaries) of fissile material at the center of the secondary of a multistage thermonuclear weapon, which undergoes nuclear fission when compressed to supercriticality by the imploding secondary, helping to raise the secondary to the pressures and temperatures necessary to ignite nuclear fusion in the secondary's fusion fuel.

Forms

Coordinates

glow plug · dynamo · firecracker

Deriveds

sparkplug

Hypernyms

part · device · plug

Relateds

spark gap · plug

Synonyms

catalyst · instigator · stimulus · straw that stirs the drink · mover and shaker

Translations (69)

af vonkprop (part of an internal combustion engine) · da tændrør (part of an internal combustion engine) · mwl bela (part of an internal combustion engine) · pdt Fiastopsel (part of an internal combustion engine) · cy plwg tanio (part of an internal combustion engine) · sh svjèćica (part of an internal combustion engine) · hu gyújtógyertya (part of an internal combustion engine) · uk запа́лювальна сві́чка (part of an internal combustion engine) · el σπινθηριστής (part of an internal combustion engine) · uk сві́чка (part of an internal combustion engine) · jv busi (part of an internal combustion engine) · ja 点火プラグ (part of an internal combustion engine) · vi bu-gi (part of an internal combustion engine) · uk сві́чка запа́лювання (part of an internal combustion engine) · rsk швичка (part of an internal combustion engine) · nl bougie (part of an internal combustion engine) · et süüteküünal (part of an internal combustion engine) · pt vela de ignição (part of an internal combustion engine) · cmn 火星塞 (part of an internal combustion engine) · he מצת (part of an internal combustion engine) · sl vžigalna svečka (part of an internal combustion engine) · vo filidakandel (part of an internal combustion engine) · cs svíčka (part of an internal combustion engine) · sv tändstift (part of an internal combustion engine) · gl buxía (part of an internal combustion engine) · ro bujie (part of an internal combustion engine) · pdt Sparkplogg (part of an internal combustion engine) · ms palam pencucuh (part of an internal combustion engine) · es bujía (part of an internal combustion engine) · tl buhiya (part of an internal combustion engine) · fr bougie d'allumage (part of an internal combustion engine) · it candela di accensione (part of an internal combustion engine) · pl świeca zapłonowa (part of an internal combustion engine) · tr buji (part of an internal combustion engine) · az alışdırma şamları (part of an internal combustion engine) · bg запалителна свещ (part of an internal combustion engine) · vo bujid (part of an internal combustion engine) · mfe labouzi (part of an internal combustion engine) · tl pasak-panduop (part of an internal combustion engine) · nb tennplugg (part of an internal combustion engine) · ga spréachphlocóid (part of an internal combustion engine) · de Zündkerze (part of an internal combustion engine) · my စပါ့ခ် ပလပ်ဂ် (part of an internal combustion engine) · ja スパークプラグ (part of an internal combustion engine) · vi bougie (part of an internal combustion engine) · is kveikikerti (part of an internal combustion engine) · sh свѐћица (part of an internal combustion engine) · ca bugia (part of an internal combustion engine) · eo sparkilo (part of an internal combustion engine) · ca bugia d'encesa (part of an internal combustion engine) · el μπουζί (part of an internal combustion engine) · fa شمع (part of an internal combustion engine) · id busi (part of an internal combustion engine) · fi sytytystulppa (part of an internal combustion engine) · nn tennplugg (part of an internal combustion engine) · hy վառոցքի մոմ (part of an internal combustion engine) · el αναφλεκτήρας (part of an internal combustion engine) · ti ቀንዴላ፟ (part of an internal combustion engine) · sk zapaľovacia sviečka (part of an internal combustion engine) · hi स्पार्क प्लग (part of an internal combustion engine) · eu buxia (part of an internal combustion engine) · ht bouji (part of an internal combustion engine) · km ឆ្នុកផ្លេក (part of an internal combustion engine) · esu espaak (part of an internal combustion engine) · th หัวเทียน (part of an internal combustion engine) · is kerti (part of an internal combustion engine) · fr bougie (part of an internal combustion engine) · km ប៊ូស៊ី (part of an internal combustion engine) · cmn 火花塞 (part of an internal combustion engine)

wikidata: Q193340