free end

noun — 2 senses

noun

The end of an internal combustion engine that does not drive anything such as a gearbox, transmission or generator.

The fan is driven by an extension shaft from the free end of the engine.1958 June 23, “Main-Line Diesel-Electric Locomotives for the Eastern Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 393:

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see free, end.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.