top dead center

== English == === Noun === top dead center (uncountable) (mechanical) A position in the cycle of a piston engine wherein the piston is at the topmost point in its stroke. In a four-stroke cycle, TDC occurs twice: at the end of the compression stroke and at the end of the exhaust stroke. Synonym: TDC (initialism) Antonyms: bottom dead center, BDC Hypernym: dead center (mechanical) The reference mark on a flywheel (and engine block) indicating the engine is in this position, when aligned. Synonym: TDC (initialism) Antonyms: bottom dead center, BDC Hypernym: dead center ==== Translations ====