mechanism

CEFRB2

/ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zəm/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
noun
A system of parts that makes something work.
02
noun
Extra detail
A group of entities, such as objects, that interact together.

Examples

We don't have a mechanism for sustained funding.
Its mechanism will cease to work.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 1
Citations: 5
Synonyms: 1

Also pronounced

[ˈmek.əˌnɪ.zm̩]
[ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zm̩]

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

Any combination of cams, gears, links, belts, chains and logical mechanical elements.
Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.
A mental, physical, or chemical process.

More examples

In context

Magnetic force drives the mechanism.
A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place.
A site that carried [sexually explicit] material, but that gated it off from children through credit cards or other mechanisms to verify the age of the user, would have an acceptable defense under the act.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The broken blank in the clock prevented the gears from moving.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place.
2012 March 26, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, pages 112–3
A site that carried [sexually explicit] material, but that gated it off from children through credit cards or other mechanisms to verify the age of the user, would have an acceptable defense under the act.
1999 February 1, Pamela Mendels, “Judge Delays Online Pornography Law”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 06 Oct 2022
Whatever the mechanism, attempts to starve the beast through revenue shortages somehow seem to make the beast all the more voracious.
2010 February 22, Catherine Rampell, “A New Social Contract, but Which One?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 Oct 2021
A very rare polymorphism in the prion protein gene recently has been identified that appears to protect against prion disease; this finding, in addition to providing greater understanding of the prionlike mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders, might lead to potential treatments.
2015 December 21, Michael D. Geschwind, “Prion Diseases”, in Continuum (Minneap Minn), →DOI
Outside the boundaries of the PTEs [Passenger Transport Executives], there was little mechanism to re-open routes, and despite a growing realisation that the lack of transport connectivity was a big contributor towards social deprivation and poor economic performance, there was little government policy recognition.
2023 March 22, 'Industry Insider', “Restoring Your Railway”, in RAIL, number 979, page 68

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Origin

noun

Learned borrowing from New Latin mechanismus.

Deep Dive

noun

More examples

Related

Quick test

The broken blank— in the clock prevented the gears from moving.

Nearby

Origin

noun

The broken blank in the clock prevented the gears from moving.