a type of coupling for transmitting power from the engine of a motor vehicle to the transmission, using a torque converter
Also called: fluid coupling, fluid clutch, fluid flywheel
fluid drive in American English
noun
Automobiles
a power coupling for permitting a smooth start in any gear, consisting of two vaned rotors in a sealed casing filled with oil, such that one rotor, driven by the engine, moves the oil to drive the other rotor, which in turn drives the transmission
Word origin
[1940–45]This word is first recorded in the period 1940–45. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Rh factor, airlift, set-aside, snorkel, update