Abbreviation for cylinder, typically used in automotive contexts to refer to engine cylinders. A shortened technical term.
Abbreviated form of 'cylinder', which comes from Latin 'cylindrus', from Greek 'kylindros' meaning 'roller', from 'kylindein' (to roll). The abbreviation became common in automotive and technical writing.
Car enthusiasts use 'cyl' so frequently that it's become almost a word in its own right - a '4-cyl engine' or '8-cyl muscle car' roll off the tongue naturally. This abbreviation represents how technical jargon creates its own linguistic shortcuts, turning a formal geometric term into casual automotive slang.
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