Plural of piston; cylindrical components that move up and down in engine cylinders to transfer force from gas pressure to mechanical motion.
From French piston, from Italian pistone 'large pestle', from pestare 'to pound, crush'. Entered English in the early 18th century with the development of steam engines and pneumatic devices.
The Detroit Pistons basketball team got their name because Detroit was the automotive capital of America, and pistons symbolized the city's industrial power. A piston can withstand temperatures over 2000°F and pressures exceeding 1000 pounds per square inch while moving up and down thousands of times per minute.
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