1. a bevel gear that permits rotation of two shafts at different speeds; used on the rear axle of automobiles to allow wheels to rotate at different speeds on curves; [syn: differential gear, differential]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
differential gear
n 1: a bevel gear that permits rotation of two shafts at
different speeds; used on the rear axle of automobiles to
allow wheels to rotate at different speeds on curves [syn:
differential gear, differential]