a type of camshaft situated above the cylinder head in an internal-combustion engine. It is usually driven by a chain or a toothed belt from the crankshaft and the cams bear directly onto the valve stems or rocker arms
overhead camshaft in American English
noun
a camshaft in an automotive engine that is located in the cylinder head over the engine block rather than in the block
Abbreviation: OHC
Word origin
[1910–15]This word is first recorded in the period 1910–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: flashback, functionalism, grass roots, insulin, payoff
Examples of 'overhead camshaft' in a sentence
overhead camshaft
This time it's the sticking-out engine that gets the attention, with a redesign that incorporates twin overhead camshafts for the first time.