D defs.my
Entry 3 senses Webster, 1913

Water hammer

/wôt'-ẽr hăm'-ẽr/ · Wa·ter ham·mer · IPA
01 A vessel partly filled with water, exhausted of air, and hermetically sealed. When reversed or shaken, the water being unimpeded by air, st…
  1. 1.
    A vessel partly filled with water, exhausted of air, and hermetically sealed. When reversed or shaken, the water being unimpeded by air, strikes the sides in solid mass with a sound like that of a hammer.(Physics)
  2. 2.
    A concussion, or blow, made by water in striking, as against the sides of a pipe or vessel containing it.
  3. 3.
    A metal hammer used when heated, as by dipping in hot water, to blister the skin, as for counterritation.