ion engine

Definition of Ion Engine in English :

1. ion engine

a type of reaction-propulsion engine to propel rockets in space; a stream of positive ions is accelerated to a high velocity by an electric field

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Ion Engine

noun

a type of rocket engine in which thrust is obtained by the electrostatic acceleration of charged positive ions

Compare plasma engine

a reaction engine, as for space vehicles, that uses for propulsion a stream of ionized atoms or molecules, accelerated by an electrostatic field

n.

A rocket engine that develops thrust by expelling ions rather than gaseous combustion products. Also called ion rocket.