From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Piston \Pis"ton\, noun [F. piston; cf. It. pistone piston, also pestone a large pestle; all fr. L. pinsere, pistum, to pound, to stamp. See {Pestle}, {Pistil}.] (Mach.) A sliding piece which either is moved by, or moves against, fluid pressure. It usually consists of a short cylinder fitting within a cylindrical vessel along which it moves, back and forth. It is used in steam engines to receive motion from the steam, and in pumps to transmit motion to a fluid; also for other purposes.
{Piston head} (Steam Eng.), that part of a piston which is made fast to the piston rod.
{Piston rod}, a rod by which a piston is moved, or by which it communicates motion.
{Piston valve} (Steam Eng.), a slide valve, consisting of a piston, or connected pistons, working in a cylindrical case which is provided with ports that are traversed by the valve.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: United States neoclassical composer (1894-1976) [syn: {Walter Piston}]
2: mechanical device that has a plunging or thrusting motion [syn: {plunger}]
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