junk ring

noun

A wide ring which fits in a groove around the piston of an internal combustion engine to keep it steamtight by retaining the packing in place.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounjunk ring (plural junk rings)

plural junk rings

  1. A wide ring which fits in a groove around the piston of an internal combustion engine to keep it steamtight by retaining the packing in place.

Origin

From junk + ring, first use appears c. 1839 in the writings of Robert Spencer Robinson.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

junk ring. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/junk%20ring

MLA

“junk ring.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/junk%20ring. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “junk ring,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/junk%20ring.

Source: junk ring on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.