/ee ol"euh puyl'/ , n.
1. a round vessel caused to rotate by the force of tangentially escaping steam: an early example of jet propulsion.
2. a device for injecting the vapors of heated alcohol into a laboratory furnace.
Also, aeolipyle, eolipile .
[ 1650-60; aeolipilae balls of AEOLUS, alter. of aeolipylae gates of AEOLUS, equiv. to Aeoli (gen. sing. of AEOLUS) + pylae, pl. of pyla pýle gate ]