diesel-electric

or Die·sel-e·lec·tric

[ dee-zuhl-i-lek-trik, -suhl- ]

adjective

1. having an electric motor powered directly by an electric generator or by batteries charged by the generator, with the generator being driven by a diesel engine:

   a diesel-electric locomotive.

diesel-electric

noun

1. a locomotive fitted with a diesel engine driving an electric generator that feeds electric traction motors

adjective

1. of or relating to such a locomotive or system

Word History and Origins

Origin of diesel-electric¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Current diesel-electric trains are designed to draw their power from overhead lines on electrified sections of track.

From BBC

Where diesel-electric submarines spend half of their time at sea going to from a patrol area, a nuclear-powered submarine would spend 15-20% of its time in transit, he said.

From Reuters

Huang said Taiwan's diesel-electric submarines can keep China at bay within the first island chain, referring to the area that runs from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing China's coastal seas.

From Reuters

Next to it, one of Russia's Kilo class diesel-electric submarines, the Rostov-on-Don - used to launch Kalibr cruise missiles hundreds of miles into Ukraine - had "likely suffered catastrophic damage".

From BBC

The submarine shown in state media reports on Friday appears to be a reworked diesel-electric powered Romeo-class Russian submarine — a model dating back to the 1950s.

From Washington Times