flywheel

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Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *plew-

Proto-Indo-European *plewk-

Proto-Indo-European *-eti

Proto-Indo-European *pléwketi

Proto-Germanic *fleuganą

Proto-West Germanic *fleugan

Old English flēogan

Middle English fliender.

English fly

Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁-redup.

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *kʷekʷléh₂

Proto-Germanic *hweulō

Old English hwēol

Middle English whel

English wheel

English flywheel

From fly + wheel.

A rotating mass used to maintain the speed of a machine within certain limits while the machine receives or releases energy at a varying rate, or as a form of energy storage. They were fitted with flywheels 25 ft. in dia. and weighing 50 tons each. The energy stored in such flywheels is very great, and in this case was of the order of 7,000,000 lb./ft. each.