An alternative spelling of eolipile; an ancient spinning device propelled by steam jets, representing the principle of jet propulsion.
From Greek 'aiolos' (wind god) + 'pyle' (gate), variant of 'eolipile.' This alternate spelling is sometimes used in historical and engineering texts.
Both spellings 'eolipile' and 'eolopile' appear in ancient texts, which shows how our modern standardization of spelling is actually quite new—even mechanical devices had name variations!
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