Definition
A rotating machine consisting of a series of blades or buckets attached to a shaft, which extracts energy from a moving fluid (gas, steam, water, or air) and converts it into rotational mechanical energy. In aviation, the term most commonly refers to the section of a gas turbine engine where hot, high-pressure exhaust gases pass through one or more bladed wheels, spinning them to drive the compressor and any connected accessories or fans.
Plain English
A spinning wheel with blades that gets pushed around by a flow of gas, steam, water, or air. In a jet engine, the hot gases coming out of the burner section spin the turbine, which in turn drives the compressor at the front of the engine.
Context Anchor
Seen in turbine engine descriptions, engine start procedures, powerplant lessons, and maintenance discussions.
Derivation
From the Latin turbo, meaning 'a spinning thing' or 'whirlwind.' The name fits well — a turbine is essentially a controlled whirlwind harnessed to do useful work.
Why Pilots Care
The turbine is the part of the engine that keeps the whole cycle running — it drives the compressor that feeds air into the engine. If turbine performance degrades (damage, overtemperature, blade failure), the engine loses power or fails entirely. Turbine inlet temperature limits exist precisely because turbine blades operate close to the limits of what metal can survive.
Analogy
A turbine is like a windmill inside the engine: moving air or gas pushes blades, and the blades turn.
Intuition Check
Do not assume turbine always means the whole engine. In precise use, the turbine is the bladed rotating part inside the engine that extracts energy from moving gas.
Example Sentence 1
After start, the pilot monitored the turbine inlet temperature carefully to make sure it stayed within limits.
Example Sentence 2
In a turboprop, the turbine also drives the propeller gearbox.