rocket engine: Meaning and Definition of

rock'et en"gine

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a reaction engine that produces a thrust due to an exhaust consisting entirely of material, as oxidizer, fuel, and inert matter, that has been carried with the engine in the vehicle it propels, none of the propellant being derived from the medium through which the vehicle moves. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.