Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An electric generator that produces alternating current.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun See alternater.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Elec.) An electric generator or dynamo for producing alternating currents.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An electric generator which produces alternating current through mechanical means.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an old term for an electric generator that produces alternating current (especially in automobiles)

Etymologies

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Examples

  • When the driver presses the accelerator pedal again, the clutch between the engine and the starter-alternator is closed, causing the still turning flywheel to restart the engine without consuming any electrical current.

    Boing Boing: April 14, 2002 - April 20, 2002 Archives 2002

  • Saturn is preparing the so-called “Green Line” line of hybrids for sale later this year, using a simplified electric motor/generator in place of a conventional alternator, which is supposed to cost several thousand dollars less than a hybrid from competitors.

    Think Progress » Bush Administration Repeatedly Peddled False Information About Iraqi Bio Labs 2006

  • The second time, your service department apparently consulted the GM protocol and determined changing the alternator was the only prescribed approach to potentially addressing the issue.

    Blessed silence « The Life and Times of Organic Mama 2007

  • GM apparently decided that changing the alternator was the ticket, which they did; however, the whine got WORSE.

    Thursday Thirteen « The Life and Times of Organic Mama 2007

  • In This type, the three conductor loops are fixed in the stator of the alternator (an alternating-current generator is also called alternator) while the magnetic field in the interior is rotated.

    8. Three-phase Current 1991

  • Dynamo Sliven, which describes itself as "one of the best functioning industrial plants in Bulgaria", has started work on an improved version of its alternator, which is expected to help it achieve even better business positions in the coming months.

    Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) 2010

  • The company has announced that the alternator has been a real breakthrough for the factory as it has become an integral part of the production of transport equipment for the US Army because of its advantages to analogical products.

    Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) 2010

  • Dynamo Sliven, which describes itself as "one of the best functioning industrial plants in Bulgaria", has started work on an improved version of its alternator, which is expected to help it achieve even better business positions in the coming months.

    Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) 2010

  • GM has said that 5,000 of its GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express vans are affected by this safety recall - due to a faulty alternator, which is considered a fire risk.

    Product Reviews Net Peter Chubb 2010

  • The company has announced that the alternator has been a real breakthrough for the factory as it has become an integral part of the production of transport equipment for the US Army because of its advantages to analogical products.

    Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) 2010

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