distributor cam
noun
Simple meaning
The cam inside the distributor that rotates to contact spark plug terminals in the correct order.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dihstribyuhterkamSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
dɪstˈɹɪbjətɚˈkæm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The cam inside the distributor that rotates to contact spark plug terminals in the correct order
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: The cam inside the distributor that rotates to contact spark plug terminals in the correct order
Used this way, distributor cam is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.