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Valve vs Piston - What's the difference?

valve | piston |

As nouns the difference between valve and piston

is that valve is a device that controls the flow of a gas or fluid through a pipe while piston is a solid disk or cylinder that fits inside a hollow cylinder, and moves under pressure (as in an engine) or displaces fluid (as in a pump.

As verbs the difference between valve and piston

is that valve is to control (flow) by means of a valve while piston is {{cx|intransitive|lang=en}} To move up and down like a piston.

As a proper noun Piston is

{{surname|lang=en}.

valve

English

(wikipedia valve)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A device that controls the flow of a gas or fluid through a pipe.
  • A device that admits fuel and air into the cylinder of an internal combustion engine, or one that allows combustion gases to exit.
  • (anatomy) One or more membranous partitions, flaps, or folds, which permit the passage of the contents of a vessel or cavity in one direction, but stop or retard the flow in the opposite direction; as, the ileocolic, mitral, and semilunar valves.
  • (British) A vacuum tube.
  • (botany) One of the pieces into which certain fruits naturally separate when they dehisce.
  • (botany) A small portion of certain anthers, which opens like a trapdoor to allow the pollen to escape, as in the barberry.
  • (biology) One of the pieces or divisions of bivalve or multivalve shells.
  • (biology) One of the two similar portions of the shell of a diatom.
  • Derived terms

    * exhaust valve * heart valve * vein valve * ileocecal valve * intake valve * non-return valve: see: non-return * safety valve * toggle valve * valved * valveless * valve oil * valvoplasty

    Verb

    (valv)
  • To control (flow) by means of a valve.
  • ----

    piston

    English

    (wikipedia piston)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A solid disk or cylinder that fits inside a hollow cylinder, and moves under pressure (as in an engine) or displaces fluid (as in a pump)
  • (music) A valve device in some brass instruments for changing the pitch
  • Derived terms

    * piston rod * piston ring * pistoning

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To move up and down like a piston.
  • Anagrams

    * ----