Definition of "tappet" []

• A lever or projecting arm that moves or is moved by contact with another part, usually to transmit motion, as between a driving mechanism and a valve. (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.

• "There is no such thing as a tappet, a left-handed monkey wrench or a sky hook."
• "Without even looking at them, he said: "One of your tappet valves is stuck.""
• "For multiple tappet shedding, for three or more independent staves, one cam of appropriate shape is needed for each stave."