donkey engine

3 definitions found

donkey engine - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  doctor \doc"tor\, n. [OF. doctur, L. doctor, teacher, fr. docere
     to teach. See Docile.]
     1. A teacher; one skilled in a profession, or branch of
        knowledge; a learned man. [Obs.]
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              One of the doctors of Italy, Nicholas Macciavel. --
                                                    Bacon.
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     2. An academical title, originally meaning a man so well
        versed in his department as to be qualified to teach it.
        Hence: One who has taken the highest degree conferred by a
        university or college, or has received a diploma of the
        highest degree; as, a doctor of divinity, of law, of
        medicine, of music, or of philosophy. Such diplomas may
        confer an honorary title only.
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     3. One duly licensed to practice medicine; a member of the
        medical profession; a physician.
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              By medicine life may be prolonged, yet death
              Will seize the doctor too.            -- Shak.
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     4. Any mechanical contrivance intended to remedy a difficulty
        or serve some purpose in an exigency; as, the doctor of a
        calico-printing machine, which is a knife to remove
        superfluous coloring matter; the doctor, or auxiliary
        engine, called also donkey engine.
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     5. (Zool.) The friar skate. [Prov. Eng.]
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     Doctors' Commons. See under Commons.
  
     Doctor's stuff, physic, medicine. --G. Eliot.
  
     Doctor fish (Zool.), any fish of the genus Acanthurus;
        the surgeon fish; -- so called from a sharp lancetlike
        spine on each side of the tail. Also called barber fish.
        See Surgeon fish.
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  Donkey \Don"key\ (d[o^][ng]"k[y^]), n.; pl. Donkeys
     (d[o^][ng]"k[i^]z). [Prob. dun, in allusion to the color of
     the animal + a dim. termination.]
     1. An ass; or (less frequently) a mule.
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     2. A stupid or obstinate fellow; an ass.
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     Donkey engine, a small auxiliary engine not used for
        propelling, but for pumping water into the boilers,
        raising heavy weights, and like purposes.
  
     Donkey pump, a steam pump for feeding boilers,
        extinguishing fire, etc.; -- usually an auxiliary.
  
     Donkey's eye (Bot.), the large round seed of the Mucuna  pruriens
        , a tropical leguminous plant.
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donkey engine - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  donkey engine
      n 1: a locomotive for switching rolling stock in a railroad yard
           [syn: switch engine, donkey engine]
      2: (nautical) a small engine (as one used on board ships to
         operate a windlass) [syn: auxiliary engine, donkey   engine
         ]