Definition of "dashpot" [dash•pot]

• A device consisting of a piston that moves within a cylinder containing oil, used to dampen and control motion. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The seating of the main admission valve is cushioned by the dashpot, the piston of which is shown in section at G (Fig. 51)."
• "No dashpot is necessary on this valve, the compression of the steam in the chamber W by the fall of the piston being sufficient to avoid shock."
• "Yep, let's see, cart attached to wall with a spring, a pendulum attached to the cart, a force applied to the end of the pendulum, and a dashpot between the pendulum and the wall."