an external-combustion engine that uses air or an inert gas as the working fluid operating on a highly efficient thermodynamic cycle (the Stirling cycle)
Word origin
named after Robert Stirling (1790–1878), Scottish minister who invented it
Stirling engine in American English
(ˈstɜrlɪŋ)
an external-combustion engine in which the heat released from the burning fuel is transferred to a confined gas, as hydrogen, which activates the pistons
Word origin
after R. Stirling (1790-1878), Scot engineer who developed the operating principle