horse power
Motor strength measurement
Horsepower is a unit measuring the rate at which work is done—the power of engines, motors, and machines.
James Watt coined it to compare steam engines to draft horses, estimating one horse could lift 33,000 pounds one foot per minute.
Today it quantifies everything from cars to lawnmowers: a 300-horsepower engine, How much horsepower does that truck have?
Figuratively, horsepower suggests capacity or strength: We need more horsepower on this project.
- wattUnit measuring power
- pullForce toward oneself
- engineMachine producing motion
- powertrainVehicle propulsion system
- mulesEquine crossbreeds or smugglers
oxen · force · energy · torque · draught animals · mechanical · speed · dynamometer · motor · under the hood · James Watt · steam engines · draft · water wheels · heavy lifting · crankshaft · efficiency · muscle
horse powerlow power
Insufficient electrical capacity
underpowered · powerlessness · weakness · low output · impotence
horse powerinertia
Resistance to altered motion
stagnation · immobility · powerlessness · dead engine · stillness
horse powermanpower
Available labor force
human power · muscle power · human-powered · electric power · solar power