Meanings
proper nounthe Rankine cycle
- natural sciencesA thermodynamic cycle used as an ideal standard for the comparative performance of heat engines.
Origin
From William John Macquorn Rankine, Scottish engineer and physicist.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Rankine cycle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rankine%20cycle
MLA
“Rankine cycle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rankine%20cycle. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Rankine cycle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rankine%20cycle.
Source: Rankine cycle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.