From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcylindercyl‧in‧der /ˈsɪləndə $ -ər/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 CFa shape, object, or container with circular ends and long straight sides → tube The gases are stored in cylinders.2 TEthe tube within which a piston moves forwards and backwards in an engine a four-cylinder engine3 → be firing/running on all cylinders
Examples from the Corpus
cylinder• a cylinder of oxygen• Existing direct cylinders can be upgraded to indirect - see below.• Teesside trains were also stopped when firemen discovered a gas cylinder near the fire.• It met the wood in massive cylinders, thirteen feet across, made of inch-thick wrought-iron plates riveted together.• The secret is to divide the number of cylinders by 2 and double the number of heads.• Atmospheric pressure then forced the piston down the cylinder in which it was sitting.• The cylinders, it was claimed, were designed to be fitted together to form the barrel of a giant 40-metre gun.Origin cylinder (1500-1600) Latin cylindrus, from Greek, from kylindein “to roll” 