accumulator

From Latin accumulātor, agent noun of accumulō (“pile up”), accumulate + -or.

(mechanics) A system of elastic springs for relieving the strain upon a rope, as in deep-sea dredging.

akumulilo

mechanics: system of elastic springs for relieving strain upon a rope


boss

From Middle English bos, bose, boce, from Old French boce (“lump, bulge, protuberance, knot”), from Frankish *bottja, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to hit, strike, beat”). Doublet of beat; see there for more.

der

The seargent […] screwing a bipod into the threaded boss on the underside of the barrel would kill these animals […]

1985, Cormac McCarthy, chapter IV, in Blood Meridian […] , →OCLC:

A swelling, lump or protuberance in an animal, person or object.

(mechanics) A protrusion; frequently a cylinder of material that extends beyond a hole.

en:prominence or projection on an object


face

→ Danish: fjæs

→ Norwegian:

Norwegian Bokmål: fjes

Norwegian Nynorsk: fjes

→ Swedish: fejs, fjäs

→ Wu: 番斯 (¹fe-sy)

From Middle English face, from Old French face, from Late Latin facia, from Latin faciēs (“form, appearance”). Doublet of facies. Displaced native Middle English onlete (“face, countenance, appearance”), anleth (“face”), from Old English anwlite, andwlita, compare German Antlitz; Old English ansīen (“face”), Middle English neb (“face, nose”) (from Old English nebb), Middle English ler, leor, leer (“face, cheek, countenance”) (from Old English hlēor), and non-native Middle English vis (“face, appearance, look”) (from Old French vis) and Middle English chere (“face”) from Old French chere.

noncog

talk to the hand 'cause the face ain't listening

a pulley or cog wheel of ten inches face

(mechanics) The width of a pulley, or the length of a cog from end to end.


sleep

en-verb

sleep (third-person singular simple present sleeps, present participle sleeping, simple past and past participle slept)

sleeps (present singular third-person)
sleeping (participle present)
slept (participle past)
slept (past)

Sranan Tongo: sribi

From Middle English slepen, from Anglian Old English slēpan, a variant of slǣpan, from Proto-West Germanic *slāpan, from Proto-Germanic *slēpaną.

When a top is sleeping, it is spinning but not precessing.

A top sleeps when it moves with such velocity, and spins so smoothly, that its motion is imperceptible.

1854, Anne E. Baker, Glossary of Northamptonshire Words and Phrases:

(intransitive, mechanics, dynamics) To spin on its axis with no other perceptible motion.

Yo-yo tricks involving sleeping the yo-yo (like "walking the dog" and "rocking the baby") cannot be performed in space.

1995, All Aboard for Space: Introducing Space to Youngsters, page 158:

(transitive, mechanics, dynamics) To cause (a spinning top or yo-yo) to spin on its axis with no other perceptible motion.


torque

en-noun

torque (countable and uncountable, plural torques)

→ Turkish: tork

Borrowed from Latin torqueō (“to twist”).

The relative strengths of the various torques will depend on both the spacecraft environment and the form and structure of the spacecraft itself.

1978, James Richard Wertz, Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control, Springer, page 17:

(physics, mechanics) A rotational or twisting effect of a force; a moment of force, defined for measurement purposes as an equivalent straight line force multiplied by the distance from the axis of rotation (SI unit newton metre or Nm; imperial unit pound-foot or lb·ft, not to be confused with the foot pound-force, commonly "foot-pound", a unit of work or energy)


torque

en-verb

torque (third-person singular simple present torques, present participle torquing or torqueing, simple past and past participle torqued)

torques (present singular third-person)
torquing (participle present)
torqueing (participle present)
torqued (participle past)
torqued (past)

(physics, mechanics) To make something rotate about an axis by imparting torque to it.


power

en-noun

power (countable and uncountable, plural powers)

→ German: Power

→ Welsh: pŵer

From Middle English power, poer, from Old French poeir, from Vulgar Latin potēre, from Latin posse, whence English potent. Compare French pouvoir. Displaced the native Old English anweald.

(physics, mechanics) A measure of the effectiveness that a force producing a physical effect has over time. If linear, the quotient of: (force multiplied by the displacement of or in an object) ÷ time. If rotational, the quotient of: (force multiplied by the angle of displacement) ÷ time.

пату́жнасць

physics: rate to magnify an optical image


backlash

backlash (countable and uncountable, plural backlashes)

... the word "backlash" is used in the extended sense in which it is understood in Lancashire and Yorkshire , including not only backlash proper , but also break of contact between the working faces of the teeth of the two wheels when the driven wheel overruns the driver without actual backlash . To place rope or belt drums of any considerable size upon shafts driven by spur gearing is nearly always dangerous.

1896 Mr. Michael Longridge, of Manchester: Breakdowns of Stationary Steam-Engines. Proceedings. Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Page 541

(mechanics) The looseness through which one part of connected machinery, such as a wheel, gear, piston, or screw, can be moved without moving the connected parts, or a measurement of the distance moved thereby; either intentional (as allowance) or unintentional (from error or wear).

луфт

mechanical: distance of free movement between connected parts

In ...breakages from high speed and irregular pitch, ten out of the eleven wheels had spur segments moulded from patterns, instead of by machinery; and in three of the ten the teeth were cast upon the felks, and were twisted and drawn, as they generally are when cast in this way, by the contraction of the mass of metal of which they form a part. In every instance the speed was high, and in several cases there was more or less backlash or over-running.

(mechanics) The jarring or reflex motion caused in badly fitting machinery by irregularities in velocity or a reverse of motion.

биене

jarring motion in badly fitting machinery


fox

fox (plural foxes or (nonstandard, dialectal) foxen)

foxes (plural)
foxen (dialectal nonstandard plural)

→ Cheyenne: vóhkéso

→ Japanese: フォックス (fokkusu)

→ Maori: pōkiha

From Middle English fox, from Old English fox (“fox”), from Proto-West Germanic *fuhs, from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz (“fox”), from Proto-Indo-European *púḱsos (“the tailed one”), possibly from *puḱ- (“tail”).
Cognate with Scots fox (“fox”), West Frisian foks (“fox”), Fering-Öömrang North Frisian foos and Sölring and Heligoland fos, Dutch vos (“fox”), Low German vos (“fox”), German Fuchs (“fox”), Icelandic fóa (“fox”), Tocharian B päkā (“tail, chowrie”), Russian пух (pux, “down, fluff”), Sanskrit पुच्छ (púccha) (whence Torwali پوش (pūš, “fox”), Hindi पूंछ (pūñch, “tail”)).

inh

the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

(mechanics) A wedge driven into the split end of a bolt to tighten it.


handwheel

When the large handwheel seen in the illustration of a 68000 class cab is moved from "stop" to "run", the traction circuit contactors are closed and the locomotive moves off with the diesel engine running at idling speed.

1964 May, “Automation in the cab—latest SNCF developments”, in Modern Railways, page 336:

(mechanics) Any wheel worked by hand, whether used to allow leverage, as of a valve or a handbrake, or to allow fine adjustment, as of a set screw.


fulcrum

Borrowed from Latin fulcrum (“bedpost, foot of a couch”), from fulciō (“prop up, support”).

bor

It is possible to flick food across the table using your fork as a lever and your finger as a fulcrum.

MILDRED: Archimedes said give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it and I will move the world.
CHARLOTTE: Yeah she said that twaddle eight or nine times.

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 5, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, pages 112–3:

(mechanics) The support about which a lever pivots.


ejector

/iːˈd͡ʒɛktɚ/

(mechanics) A jet jump for lifting water or withdrawing air from a space.


milkshake

This milkshake under the oil cap, or on the dipstick, indicates a blown head gasket.

(mechanics, informal) Accidental emulsion of oil and water in an engine.


safety

en-noun

safety (countable and uncountable, plural safeties)

Inherited from Middle English savete, from Old French sauveté, from earlier salvetet, from Medieval Latin salvitās, salvitātem, from Latin salvus.

Be sure that the safety is set before proceeding.

(mechanics) A mechanism on a weapon or dangerous equipment designed to prevent accidental firing.


lever

From Middle English lever, levore, levour, from Old French leveor, leveur (“a lifter, lever (also Old French and French levier)”), from Latin levātor (“a lifter”), from levō (“to raise”). Doublet of levator.

(mechanics) A rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (the fulcrum), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; — used for transmitting and modifying force and motion.

Retractable steps and handrails are provided on each side of the cars. The steps, which are under the control of the guard, are operated by hand levers in the entrance vestibule.

1952 September, “Modernised Pull-and-Push Trains”, in Railway Magazine, page 617:

Specifically, a bar of metal, wood or other rigid substance, used to exert a pressure, or sustain a weight, at one point of its length, by receiving a force or power at a second, and turning at a third on a fixed point called a fulcrum. It is usually named as the first of the six mechanical powers, and is of three kinds, according as either the fulcrum F, the weight W, or the power P, respectively, is situated between the other two, as in the figures.

(mechanics) A bar, as a capstan bar, applied to a rotatory piece to turn it.

(mechanics) An arm on a rock shaft, to give motion to the shaft or to obtain motion from it.


tap

The noun is derived from Middle English tappe (“hollow device for controlling the flow of liquid from a hole, cock, faucet, spigot; hole through which the liquid flows; the liquid which thus flows”), from Old English tæppa, from Proto-West Germanic *tappō, from Proto-Germanic *tappô (“a plug, tap; peg; tapering stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂p- (“to lose; to sacrifice”).
The verb is derived from Middle English tappen (“to obtain (liquid, chiefly liquor) from a tap; to obtain and sell (liquor)”), from Old English tæppian (“to provide (a container) with a stopper; to obtain (liquid) from a tap”), and then either:
* from Old English tæppa (see above) + -ian (suffix forming verbs); or
* from Proto-Germanic *tappōną, from *tappô (noun) (see above).
Verb sense 1.3.5 (“to turn over (a playing card or playing piece) to remind players that it has already been used in that round”) alludes to the abilities or resources of the card or piece having been drawn on to the point of temporary exhaustion: see verb sense 1.3.2.

rubinet

hollow device used to control the flow of a fluid — see also faucet

We drilled a hole and then cut the threads with the proper tap to match the valve’s thread.

To fit the Pin therefore to a true ſize, I in my Practiſe uſe to try into vvhat Hole of the Screvv Plate, the Tap or place of the Tap, (if it be a tapering Tap,) I make the Nut vvith vvill juſt ſlide through; […] But if the Screvv-Tap have no Handle, then it hath its upper end Filed to a long ſquare, to fit into an hollovv ſquare, made near the Handle of the Screvv-Plate: Put that long ſquare hole over the long ſquare on the top of the Tap, and then by turning about the Screvv-Plate, you vvill alſo turn about the Tap in the Hole, and make Grooves and Threds in the Nut.

1678 January 11 – February 11 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Moxon, “Numb[er] II. Applied to the Making of Hinges, Locks, Keys, Screws and Nuts Small and Great.”, in Mechanick Exercises, or The Doctrine of Handy-Works, […], volume I, London: […] Joseph Moxon, published 1683, →OCLC, page 31:

(mechanics) A cylindrical tool used to cut an internal screw thread in a hole, with cutting edges around the lower end and an upper end to which a handle is fitted to turn the tool.


tap

en-verb

tap (third-person singular simple present taps, present participle tapping, simple past and past participle tapped)

taps (present singular third-person)
tapping (participle present)
tapped (participle past)
tapped (past)
tap (infinitive)

точа

to draw off (a liquid) from a container or other source; to draw off a liquid from (a container or other source)

Tap an M3 thread all the way through the hole.

To cut an internal screw thread in (a hole); also, to cut (an internal screw thread) in a hole, or to create an internally threaded hole in (something).

нарязвам резба

to cut an internal screw thread in (a hole); to cut (an internal screw thread) in a hole; to create an internally threaded hole in (something)

To cut an external screw thread into (a bolt or rod) to create a screw.

tehdä ulkokierre

to cut an external screw thread into (a bolt or rod) to create a screw

To put (a screw or other object) in or through another thing.

työntää ruuvi läpi

to put (a screw or other object) in or through another thing


virtual

/ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəl/

/ˈvɜɹt͡ʃuəl/

/ˈvɵːt͡ʃuəl/

PIE word
 *wiHrós
The adjective is derived from Middle English vertual, virtual [and other forms], from Old French vertüal, vertüelle (modern French virtuel), or from their etymon Medieval Latin virtuālis (“of or pertaining to potency or power; having power to produce an effect, potent; morally virtuous”), from Latin virtūs (“goodness, virtue; manliness, virility”) (from vir (“adult male, man”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós (“man”), possibly from *weyh₁- (“to chase, hunt, pursue”)) + -tūs (suffix forming collective or abstract nouns)) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship), modelled after virtuōsus (“good, virtuous”).
Sense 4 (“pertaining to a theoretical infinitesimal velocity in a mechanical system that does not violate the system’s constraints”) is borrowed from French virtuel, from Middle French virtuel, from Old French vertüal, vertüelle: see above.
The noun is derived from the adjective.
cognates
* French virtuel
* Italian virtuale
* Spanish virtual

der

virtual displacement virtual work

(mechanics) Pertaining to a theoretical infinitesimal velocity in a mechanical system that does not violate the system's constraints; also, of other physical quantities: resulting from such a velocity.

virtuaalinen

pertaining to a theoretical infinitesimal velocity in a mechanical system that does not violate the system’s constraints; of other physical quantities: resulting from such a velocity


manifold

From Middle English manifold, from Old English maniġfeald (“manifold, various, varied, complicated, numerous, abundant, plural”), from Proto-Germanic *managafalþaz, equivalent to many + -fold. Cognate with Middle High German manecvalt (“manifold”), Icelandic margfaldr (“multiple”). Compare also German mannigfaltig (“various”), Dutch menigvoudig (“various”), Danish mangefold (“multiple”), Swedish mångfald (“diversity”).

cog

(mechanics) A pipe fitting or similar device that connects multiple inputs or outputs.


moment

en-noun

moment (countable and uncountable, plural moments)

From Middle English moment, from Old French moment, from Latin mōmentum. Doublet of momentum and movement.

(physics, mechanics) Ellipsis of moment of force.


gland

Early 19th century, probably from Scots glam (“vice, clamp”), probably from a variant of clam (“clam; clamp, vise”). Related to clamp.

(mechanics) A compressable cylindrical case and its contents around a shaft where it passes through a barrier, intended to prevent the passage of a fluid past the barrier, used for example around a ship’s propeller shaft or around a tap, valve or faucet.


polygon of forces

polygon of forces (plural polygons of forces)

(mechanics) A polygonal figure the sides of which are vectors representing several forces acting simultaneously upon one point, so that the vector necessary to make the figure closed is the resultant of those forces.


parallelogram of forces

parallelogram of forces (plural parallelograms of forces)

(mechanics) A parallelogram, two adjacent sides of which are vectors having the same initial point and representing two forces acting simultaneously upon this point, such that the resultant of the forces is given by the diagonal of the parallelogram that passes through this point.


LSD

LSD (countable and uncountable, plural LSDs)

limited-slip differential
limited-slip differential#English

(mechanics) Initialism of limited-slip differential.


bottom

en-verb

bottom (third-person singular simple present bottoms, present participle bottoming, simple past and past participle bottomed)

bottoms (present singular third-person)
bottoming (participle present)
bottomed (participle past)
bottomed (past)

PIE word
 *bʰudʰmḗn
From Middle English botme, botom, from Old English botm, bodan (“bottom, foundation; ground, abyss”), from Proto-West Germanic *butm, from Proto-Germanic *butmaz, *budmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn (“bottom”). Cognate with Dutch bodem, German Boden, Icelandic botn, Danish bund; also Irish bonn (“sole (of foot)”), Ancient Greek πυθμήν (puthmḗn, “bottom of a cup or jar”), Sanskrit बुध्न (budhna, “bottom”), Persian بن (bon, “bottom”), Latin fundus (“bottom”) (whence fund, via French). The sense “posterior of a person” is from 1794; the verb “to reach the bottom of” is from 1808. bottom dollar (“the last dollar one has”) is from 1882.

cog

(mechanics, intransitive) To reach or strike against the bottom of something, so as to impede free action.


press

en-verb

press (third-person singular simple present presses, present participle pressing, simple past and past participle pressed or prest)

presses (present singular third-person)
pressing (participle present)
pressed (participle past)
pressed (past)
prest (participle past)
prest (past)

From Middle English pressen (“to crowd, thring, press”), from Old French presser (“to press”) (Modern French presser) from Latin pressāre, from pressus, past participle of premere "to press". Displaced native Middle English thringen (“to press, crowd, throng”) (from Old English þringan (“to press, crowd”)), Middle English thrasten (“to press, force, urge”) (from Old English þrǣstan (“to press, force”)), Old English þryscan (“to press”), Old English þȳwan (“to press, impress”).

cog

(transitive, mechanics, electronics) To activate a button or key by exerting a downward or forward force on it, and then releasing it.


autonomy

en-noun

autonomy (countable and uncountable, plural autonomies)

Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτονομῐ́ᾱ (autonomíā, “freedom to use its own laws, independence”), from αὐτόνομος (autónomos, “living under one's own laws, independent”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-íā, “-y, -ia”, nominal suffix). By surface analysis, auto- (“self”) + -nomy (“a system of rules or laws about a particular field”).

surf

...[T]he fact that a scientific theory finds applications to a wide variety of different phenomena does not imply anything about the autonomy of this theory from deeper physical laws.

1992, Steven Weinberg, Dreams of a Final Theory, Pantheon Books, page 41:

(mechanics, uncountable) The capacity of a system to make a decision about its actions without the involvement of another system or operator.


diaphragm

/ˈdaɪəˌfɹæm/

From Ancient Greek διάφραγμα (diáphragma, “partition”), from διά (diá, “across”) and φράγμα (phrágma, “barrier”), from the verb φράσσω (phrássō).

мембра́на

anatomy: separating membrane or sheet of muscle

There also were five broken panes of glass on the two huge, rubberlike diaphragms that equalize air pressure within the dome as the artificial atmosphere expands and contracts with temperature variations, he said.

1994 May 4, “Two Former Biosphere Workers Are Accused of Sabotaging Dome”, in The Associated Press:

(mechanics) A flexible membrane separating two chambers and fixed around its periphery that distends into one or other chamber as the difference in the pressure in the chambers varies.


indifferent

en-adj

indifferent (comparative more indifferent, superlative most indifferent)

more indifferent (comparative)
most indifferent (superlative)

From Old French indifferent, from Latin indifferens.

(mechanics) Being in the state of neutral equilibrium.


flange

en-verb

flange (third-person singular simple present flanges, present participle flanging, simple past and past participle flanged)

flanges (present singular third-person)
flanging (participle present)
flanged (participle past)
flanged (past)

From dialectal English flange (“to project”), flanch (“a projection”), from Middle French flanche, from Old French flanche (“flank, side”), from Frankish *hlanka, from Proto-Germanic *hlankō (“bend, curve; side, flank”). See flank. As a term for a group of baboons, it was popularized in the comedy TV series Not the Nine O'Clock News.

der

(transitive, mechanics) To make a flange on; to furnish with a flange; to bend (esp. sheet metal) in the form of a flange.


spline

Mid-1700s East Anglian dialect. Origin uncertain but perhaps from Old Danish splind or North Frisian splinj and ultimately related to the root of splinter.

(mechanics) Ridges or teeth on a drive shaft that mesh with grooves in a mating piece and transfer torque to it, maintaining the angular correspondence between them.


inclined plane

On this railway there were three inclined planes of the self-acting type, the full wagons pulling up the empty.

1947 May and June, “Notes and News: The Fordell Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 188:

(mechanics) One of the simple machines; a sloping surface such as a ramp such that an object can be raised with less effort than being lifted vertically.


blank

From Middle English blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Anglo-Norman blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Old French blanc, feminine blanche, from Frankish *blank (“gleaming, white, blinding”), from Proto-Germanic *blankaz (“white, bright, blinding”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- (“to shine”). Akin to Old High German blanch (“shining, bright, white”) (German blank), Old English blanc (“white, grey”), blanca (“white steed”), Spanish blanco. More at blink, blind, blanch. Doublet of blanc.

cog

(mechanics, engineering) A piece of material roughly cut, forged, cast, etc. to the size and shape of the thing to be made, and ready for the finishing operations; (coining) the disc of metal before stamping .

Any article of glass on which subsequent processing is required [since the 19th century].

(electric recording) The shaved wax ready for placing on a recording machine for making wax records with a stylus [20th century].


compliance

en-noun

compliance (countable and uncountable, plural compliances)

(mechanics) A measure of the extension or displacement of a loaded structure; its flexibility


impulsive

en-adj

impulsive (comparative more impulsive, superlative most impulsive)

more impulsive (comparative)
most impulsive (superlative)

Borrowed from Middle French impulsif, from Latin impulsivus.

(mechanics) Acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous – said of forces.

impulsief

(mechanics) acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous


pendulum

Borrowed from the neuter of Latin pendulus (“hanging”).

(clocks, mechanics) A body suspended from a fixed support so that it swings freely back and forth under the influence of gravity, commonly used to regulate various devices such as clocks.

The pendulum can be seen to be swinging in favour of rail, as with each issue of RAIL comes news of further intermodal service expansion.

2021 October 20, Industry Insider, “The wheels turn slowly”, in RAIL, number 942, page 68:

(by extension) The tendency of a situation to oscillate (between two extremes).


kinetics

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-kinetics.wav

From Ancient Greek κινητικός (kinētikós, “kinetic”).

der

(mechanics) The branch of mechanics concerned with motion of objects, as well as the reason i.e. the forces acting on such bodies. This, along with kinematics constitute dynamics, which is concerned purely with the effects of forces on moving bodies.


piston

(mechanics) A solid disk or cylinder that fits inside a hollow cylinder, and moves under pressure (as in an engine) or displaces fluid (as in a pump)


bulkhead

(mechanics) A partition or panel through which connectors pass, or a connector designed to pass through a partition.


escapement

From escape + -ment. The watch component is so called because it allows a tooth to escape from a pallet at each vibration.

The escapement is the reason why clocks tick.

For some reason, adjusting the 400-day clock escapement strikes fear into the hearts of many clock repairers.

2010, Joseph Rabushka, Repair and Restore Your 400-Day Clock, →ISBN, page 53:

(clocks, mechanics) The linkage in a (watch) that gives impulses to the timekeeping element and periodically releases the gear train to move forward, advancing the clock's hands.


breather

From breathe + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (relational noun suffix).

(mechanics) An air inlet path to the crankcase


elastance

en-noun

elastance (countable and uncountable, plural elastances)

Mechanical–electrical analogies
Oliver Heaviside

* From elastic + -ance.
* (physics): Coined by Oliver Heaviside. There is a force–voltage electromechanical analogy in which capacitance corresponds to the inverse of a spring constant; the smaller the spring constant, the more “elastic” (yielding, flexible) the spring is.


gear wheel

/ɡɪə(ɹ)ʍiːl/

(mechanics) A wheel with a toothed rim, intended to engage with others, or similar equipment, to form a gear.


torsion

torsion (countable and uncountable, plural torsions)

From Middle English torcion, from Middle French torsion, from Late Latin torsiōnem, from Latin tortiō, from torqueō (“twist, turn”). See torture, -tort.

(mechanics) That force with which a thread, wire, or rod of any material returns, or tends to return, to a state of rest after it has been twisted; torsibility.

усукваща сила

that force with which a thread, wire, or rod tends to return to a state of rest after it has been twisted


socket

From Middle English socket, soket, from Anglo-Norman soket (“spearhead”), diminutive of Old French soc (“plowshare”), from Vulgar Latin *soccus, a word borrowed from Gaulish, from Proto-Celtic *sukkos (compare modern Welsh swch (“plowshare”)), literally "pig's snout", from Proto-Indo-European *suH-.

套接字

computing interprocess communication channel

Each seat must have a 230V socket, a USB socket, a coat hook, reading light and cup holder.

2021 December 29, “Network News: HS2 rolling stock”, in RAIL, number 947, page 7:

(mechanics) An opening into which a plug or other connecting part is designed to fit (e.g. a light bulb socket).

འཁོར་མིག ('khor mig, literally “round hole/eye”)

འཛུགས་ས ('dzugs sa, literally “inserted-place”)


anharmonic

An anharmonic oscillator is a perturbed version of a harmonic oscillator.


gasket

Perhaps from Middle French garcette (“gasket”), from Old French garce (“young woman”), feminization of garçon.

Three major types of oil-pan gaskets are available: cork/ neoprene composition, neoprene and Hypalon Duraprene. Most professionals prefer cork/neoprene gaskets because the oil-pan bolts seem to lose their torque with the others.

1985, Ron Sessions, The Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 Handbook, Penguin, →ISBN, page 12:

(mechanics) Any mechanical seal that serves to fill the space between two objects, generally to prevent leakage between the two objects while under compression.


buffer

Agent noun from obsolete verb buff (“make a dull sound when struck”) (mid-16c.), from Old French buffe (“blow”).
The “boatswain's mate” sense is said to be popularly explained by the mate being a “buffer”, that is intermediary, between officers and men, but various other explanations have also been proposed.

bufro

anything used to isolate or to minimise the effects of one thing on another

Anything used to isolate or minimize the effect of one thing on another.

(mechanics) Anything used to maintain slack or isolate different objects.


FEM

FEM (countable and uncountable, plural FEMs)

mathematical analysis
mathematical analysis

(mathematical analysis, mechanics) Initialism of finite element method.,


Newtonian mechanics

(mechanics) Early classical mechanics as propounded by Isaac Newton, especially that based on his laws of motion and theory of gravity.


accelerated motion

accelerated motion (countable and uncountable, plural accelerated motions)

(mechanics) Motion with a continually increasing velocity.

kiihtyvä liike

motion with a continually increasing velocity


flyweight

(mechanics) A weight that moves outward depending on centrifugal force.

keskipakopaino

mechanics: weight that moves outward with centrifugal force


race rotation

(mechanics) The rotation of the inner and outer parts of a bearing race.


induction motor

induction motor (plural induction motors)

(mechanics) An alternating current motor in which currents in the secondary wiring of the rotor are created by induction from the magnetic field of the primary winding of the stator.


Lagrangian

/læˈɡɹɑ̃ʒi.ən/

Lagrangian mechanics
Lagrangian mechanics

(mechanics) Relating to Lagrangian mechanics.


Lagrangian

/læˈɡɹɑ̃ʒi.ən/

(mechanics, specifically) A function summarizing the dynamics of a physical system, typically in non-relativistic contexts amounting to the kinetic energy minus the potential energy, L=T-V.


poppet valve

This communication between the tank and pump is controlled by a float valve in the tanks and a cock in the pipe, while a poppet valve prevents the undrawn liquor going into the waste tank.

1900, Patents for Inventions: Abridgments of Specifications, page 75:

Chesapeake & Ohio's enormous L-2 4-6-4's with Franklin rotary-cam poppet valves boasted an engine weight of 221½ tons and were coal-minded Chessie's last bid to beat the passenger diesel with a reciprocating engine.

1959, David P. Morgan, editor, Steam's Finest Hour, Kalmbach Publishing Co., page 62:

(mechanics) A valve (as in an internal combustion engine) which consists of a sliding shaft with a disk on the end (the disk being shaped to alternately plug and unplug a matching port) and which is operated by springs and possibly cams interacting with the shaft.


lock up

en-verb

lock up (third-person singular simple present locks up, present participle locking up, simple past and past participle locked up)

locks up (present singular third-person)
locking up (participle present)
locked up (participle past)
locked up (past)

(intransitive, mechanics) To stop moving; to seize.

Due to the engines-out condition, the landing was conducted without the brake antiskid and normal breaking^([sic]) systems. Because the emergency brake accumulator only provides for a limited amount of brake applications, full braking was applied and retained at the second touch down, resulting in the main wheels locking up. The tires quickly abraded and deflated at a point between about 300 and 450 feet beyond the second and final touch down.

2004 October 18, Gabinete de Prevenção e Investigação de Acidentes com Aeronaves, “1.3 Damage to Aircraft”, in Accident Investigation Final Report: All Engines-out Landing Due to Fuel Exhaustion, Air Transat Airbus A330-243 marks C-GITS, Lajes, Azores, Portugal, 24 August 2001, archived from the original on 2022-10-30, page 11:

(of a wheel) To stop spinning due to excessive braking torque.


Geneva wheel

(mechanics) A mechanism that translates a continuous rotation into an intermittent rotary motion.


virial

From Latin vīs (vīs has a hidden "r" that shows in forms such as the genitive plural, vīrium).

(mechanics) Of or pertaining to the interactive forces between molecules or particles.


virial

The quantity 1/2 Rr, or half the product of the attraction into the distance across which the attraction is exerted, is defined by Clausis [Prof. Clausis of Bonn] as the virial of the attraction. (In the case of pressure or repulsion, the virial is negative.)

1875, James Clerk Maxwell, “On the Dynamical Evidence of the Molecular Constitution of Bodies”, in Nature, 11 (1875), 357-359, 374-377:

(mechanics) One-half of the product of the stress of attraction or repulsion with the distance between two particles.


chain drive

(mechanics) transmission system in which power is transferred to the wheels (for example), by means of a chain.


seating

en-noun

seating (countable and uncountable, plural seatings)

(mechanics) Collectively, the various fitted supports of the parts of a structure or of a machine; a housing in which a component is seated.


CFD

Computational Fluid Dynamics
computational fluid dynamics#English

(computing, mechanics) Initialism of Computational Fluid Dynamics.


Geneva mechanism

Geneva mechanism (plural Geneva mechanisms)

So called from Geneva in Switzerland, an important center of watchmaking.

(mechanics) A mechanism that translates a continuous rotation into an intermittent rotary motion, using an intermittent gear where the drive wheel has a pin that reaches into a slot of the driven wheel and thereby advances it by one step, and having a raised circular blocking disc that locks the driven wheel in position between steps.


Newton's second law

directly proportional
directly proportional

(mechanics) Newton's observation that the rate of change of the momentum of a body is directly proportional to, and in the same direction as, the net force acting on it. Often stated as F = ma: F = force, m = mass, a = acceleration.


Newton's first law

(mechanics) The observation that objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless an outside force acts upon them.


Newton's third law

(mechanics) Newton's observation that to every action (force applied) there is an equal and opposite reaction (equal force applied in the opposite direction)


damping

damping (countable and uncountable, plural dampings)

(mechanics) The reduction in the magnitude of oscillations by the dissipation of energy

(mechanics) The stabilization of a physical system by reducing oscillation

amortissement

the stabilization of a physical system by reducing oscillation


fluid mechanics

(mechanics) The branch of mechanics dealing with gases and liquids, either at rest or in motion.


shear centre

(mechanics) The point where a shear force can act without producing any twist in the section. In general not the centroid, but a point through which a force transverse to the axis of a beam section can act and not cause any twisting of the beam section.


form factor

(mechanics) A factor describing the stress distribution of a body


dynamicist

(mechanics) A person who studies dynamics.


polyspast

From Latin polyspaston (“hoisting-tackle with many pulleys”), from Ancient Greek πολύσπαστον (polúspaston, “compound pulley”).

der

(mechanics) A windlass with many pulleys and truckles


anharmonicity

en-noun

anharmonicity (countable and uncountable, plural anharmonicities)

(mechanics) The deviation of a system from harmonicity (being a harmonic oscillator)


return spring

(mechanics) The spring that returns a door handle or knob to its original position when rotated.


resistance distance

resistance distance (plural resistance distances)

(mechanics) In classical mechanics, the distance from the resistance (on a lever) to the fulcrum.


optomechanics

(optics, mechanics) The design and manufacture of precision mechanical components of optical devices


zoomy

en-adj

zoomy (comparative zoomier, superlative zoomiest)

zoomier (comparative)
zoomiest (superlative)

zoomy but faded paint jobs

In our recent visits to the Frankfurt and Tokyo auto shows, we saw the zoomy shapes we expect at major shows.

Does the zoomy new look of the TT [automobile] equate with a corresponding improvement in performance?

2007, Car and Driver, volume 52, page 59:

(mechanics, informal) sleek, speedy, streamlined


antiplane

(mechanics) Being or pertaining to a special class of deformation where the displacements in the body are zero in the plane of interest but non-zero in the direction perpendicular to that plane.


antibacklash

(mechanics) Countering or preventing backlash (jarring reflex motion in machinery).


mechanostability

en-noun

mechanostability (countable and uncountable, plural mechanostabilities)


rebat

en-verb

rebat (third-person singular simple present rebats, present participle rebatting, simple past and past participle rebatted)

rebats (present singular third-person)
rebatting (participle present)
rebatted (participle past)
rebatted (past)

Having determined the complete plan of the roof, all that is required is to develop the side by rebatting it upon the eaves line as hinge.

1904, Technics: A Magazine to Aid Technical Progress:

(mechanics) To perform a rebatment; to rotate one orthographic view into the plane of another orthographic view along the line of intersection between the two planes.


peritrochium

From New Latin peritrochium, from Koine Greek περιτρόχιον (peritrókhion), from Ancient Greek περίτροχος (perítrokhos, “circular”).

der

[T]he engineer proceeded to the illustration of his mechanicks, tilting up his hand like a balance, thrusting it forward by way of lever, embracing the naturalist's nose like a wedge betwixt two of his fingers, and turning it round, with the momentum of a screw or peritrochium.

1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:

(mechanics) The wheel which, together with the axle, forms the axis in peritrochio.


mechanobiology

(biology, mechanics) The study of the mechanics (physical forces and interactions) of biological systems


breaking point

en-noun

breaking point (countable and uncountable, plural breaking points)

(mechanics) The point at which the increasing strain in a material causes it to break.


limited-slip differential

limited-slip differential (plural limited-slip differentials)

To get the facts on just what a limited-slip differential contributes to mobility under slippery conditions as well as on dry roads, we drew up plans for a series of tests

1969 November 5, Jan P. Norbye, Jim Dunne, “The Truth about LIMITED-SLIP DIFFERENTIALS”, in Popular Science, volume 195, number 5, page 118:

A limited-slip differential on the transfer case divides the torque between front and rear axles, even if one axle has lost traction. This is similar to the limited-slip differential, optional on rear-drive cars, that transmits power to both rear wheels, even if one has lost traction

1979 September 5, Paul Weissler, “Servicing the four-wheel drive Eagle”, in Popular Mechanics, page 94:

This wrinkle in the system is corrected by a limited-slip differential. While some carmakers use a viscous coupling in the rear differential, carmakers typically use a simple clutch-and-spring system in limited-slip differentials

1992 November 5, Don Chaikin, “HOW IT WORKS: LIMITED-SLIP DIFFERENTIAL”, in Popular Mechanics, volume 169, number 11, page 104:

Limited-slip differentials allow normal differential action under normal driving conditions. But when road conditions are slippery, the limited-slip differential reduces or prevents differential action. This makes it so that a wheel cannot spin freely. Drive is maintained to both wheels. There are two main types of limited-slip differentials—- clutch-style and gear style.

2019, Kirk VanGelder, Fundamentals of Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair, page 558:

(mechanics) A type of differential that allows its output shafts to rotate at different speeds but can limit the maximum difference in angular velocity between the output shafts, allowing greater torque to be applied to the slower-spinning shaft(s) and generally resulting in better traction than older-design differentials.


normal mode

(mechanics, quantum mechanics) A mode of an oscillating system in which all parts of the system move sinusoidally with the same frequency and with a fixed phase relation. The motion described by the normal modes is called resonance.


Euler-Lagrange equation

Euler-Lagrange equation (plural Euler-Lagrange equations)

Named after the Swiss mathematician and physicist Leonhard Euler (1707–1783), and the Italian-born French mathematician and astronomer Joseph Louis Lagrange (1736–1813).

differential equation
differential equation

calculus of variations
calculus of variations

principle of least action
principle of least action

(mechanics, analytical mechanics) A differential equation which describes a function mathbf q(t) which describes a stationary point of a functional, S( mathbf q)=∫L(t, mathbf q(t), mathbf ̇q(t)),dt, which represents the action of mathbf q(t), with L representing the Lagrangian. The said equation (found through the calculus of variations) is ∂L/∂ mathbf q=d/dt∂L/∂ mathbf ̇q and its solution for mathbf q(t) represents the trajectory of a particle or object, and such trajectory should satisfy the principle of least action.

Euler-Lagrange equation
Joseph Louis Lagrange
Leonhard Euler


enrichener

(mechanics, nonstandard) The choke of a motor vehicle.


momentless

(physics, mechanics) Without a moment, or turning force.


footwheel

(mechanics) Any wheel worked by means of the foot.


overspeed

en-verb

overspeed (third-person singular simple present overspeeds, present participle overspeeding, simple past and past participle (mostly US) oversped or (mostly UK) overspeeded)

overspeeds (present singular third-person)
overspeeding (participle present)
oversped (US participle past)
oversped (US past)
overspeeded (UK participle past)
overspeeded (UK past)

The device should be periodically tested by overspeeding the engine say once a month.

1949, A. C. Walshaw, Heat Engines (3 ed.):

(usually transitive, sometimes intransitive, chiefly mechanics) To operate an engine or machine too fast.


open differential

en-noun

open differential (plural open differentials)

(mechanics) A type of differential gear used in automobile construction, allowing for output shafts to have different angular velocity, while equalizing torque applied to each output shaft.


epsilon-machine

From epsilon + machine. Coined by James Crutchfield and Karl Young in their 1989 paper “Inferring Statistical Complexity”.

With a direct measure of an ε'''-machine’s complexity, the theory gives a computation-theoretic foundation to the notions of model optimality and, most importantly, a measure of the computational complexity of estimated models.

1989, James Crutchfield, Karl Young, Inferring Statistical Complexity:

The ϵ'''-machine is the organization of the process, or at least of the part of it which is relevant to our measurements. It leads to a natural measure of the statistical complexity of processes, namely the amount of information needed to specify the state of the ϵ'''-machine. […] Using the ϵ'''-machine, we see that the causal states always form a Markov process. This is satisfying ideologically, and has interesting information-theoretic and ergodic consequences.

2001, Cosma Rohilla Shalizi, Causal Architecture, Complexity and Self-Organization in Time Series and Cellular Automata:

These predictors, called ε-machines, are a subset of a well known statistical model class called the Hidden Markov Model (HMM). Despite being a subset, ε-machines have several important advantages over traditional HMMs. This dissertation illustrates these advantages by applying ε-machines to several problems in computer security: anomaly-based intrusion detection in High Performance Computing (HPC) environments, automated protocol reverse engineering, and structural drift.

2010, Sean Harrison Whalen, Security applications of the epsilon-machine, abstract:

This article introduces both a new algorithm for reconstructing epsilon-machines from data, as well as the decisional states. These are defined as the internal states of a system that lead to the same decision, based on a user-provided utility or pay-off function. […] The intrinsic underlying structure of the system is modeled by an epsilon-machine and its causal states.

2011, Nicolas Brodu, “Reconstruction of epsilon-machines in predictive frameworks and decisional states”, in Advances in Complex Systems, volume 14, number 05:

(computational mechanics) A deterministic automaton consisting of a system of causal states and the transitions between them, functioning as the smallest possible maximally predictive model of a stochastic process


brittle fracture

brittle fracture (plural brittle fractures)

(mechanics, material science) type of fracture without plastic deformation


ductile fracture

ductile fracture (plural ductile fractures)

(mechanics, material science) type of fracture with plastic deformation and ductile rupture


coil whine

(mechanics, electronics) A high-pitched whining sound caused by vibrations of electrical components in a device.


computational fluid dynamics

computational fluid dynamics (uncountable)

(computing, mechanics) The study of computational algorithms to solve mathematical problems in the field of fluid dynamics.


semi-trailing

semi-trailing arm suspension

Swivelling of these semi-trailing arms is therefore neither true transverse or true trailing but is a combination of both.

2002, Heinz Heisler, Advanced Vehicle Technology, page 397:

The next development, introduced in 1951, was the semi-trailing arm in which the arm pivot axis is a compromise between the swing axle and the plain trailing arm, typically in the range of 15° to 25°, as in Figure 1.10.4.

2009, John C. Dixon, Suspension Geometry and Computation, page 28:

Semi-trailing links are optimal with regard to this requirement as they can support forces in both the lateral and longitudinal directions through the same pivot points.

2010, Bernhard Heißing, Metin Ersoy, Chassis Handbook, page 395:

To reduce this unwanted effect, the design of the trailing arm has been modified to a semi-trailing arm suspension, where the revolt axis of the control arm makes an angle with the vehicle's longitudinal axis, as shown in Figure 2.3.

2022, Avesta Goodarzi, Amir Khajepour, Vehicle Suspension System Technology and Design, page 14:

(mechanics) Having a movement that pivots on an access which is at an angle between longitudinal and transverse.


tackle block

(mechanics) A pulley over which a rope runs.


pedestal coil

(mechanics, steam heating) in a radiator, a group of connected straight pipes arranged side by side and one above another


IMA

Coordinate term: AMA

ideal mechanical advantage
w:ideal mechanical advantage

(mechanics) Initialism of ideal mechanical advantage.


squirrel-cage motor

squirrel-cage motor (plural squirrel-cage motors)

(mechanics) A kind of induction motor that harnesses electromagnetism in order to generate motion.


Varignon's theorem

Named after French mathematician Pierre Varignon.

(mechanics) A theorem stating that the torque of a resultant of two concurrent forces about any point is equal to the algebraic sum of the torques of its components about the same point.


force pair

(physics, mechanics) Two forces acting at the same point with equal magnitude but opposite direction, resulting from Newton's third law ("every action has an equal and opposite reaction").


petrol engine

(mechanics) An internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline).


mass distribution

mass distribution (countable and uncountable, plural mass distributions)

(physics, mechanics) The spatial distribution of mass within a solid body.


mean free time

mean free time (countable and uncountable, plural mean free times)

(physics, mechanics) The average time between collisions of a molecule in a fluid.


free-fall time

free-fall time (countable and uncountable, plural free-fall times)

(mechanics, physics) The characteristic amount of time required for a body to collapse under its own gravitational attraction, if no other forces exist to oppose the collapse.


mushroom head

(engineering, mechanics) Of a mechanical device, any component which resembles the cap of a mushroom.


chain drill

(mechanics) A drilling tool that is driven by a rotating chain with attached drill bits or teeth to bore holes.


belt track

It has been found that by simply substituting a belt track for an undercarriage with wheels in tandem, the unit load on the ground can be halved without increasing the bulk of the undercarriage.

Figure III shows the Terrapin, a belt-track vehicle designed to transport cargo over very difficult terrain.

1962, Science, Technology, and Development, page 141:

Comparing the traction capabilities of a rubber belt track with wheeled equipment tires.

2017, Owen C. Duffy, Gus Wright, Scott A. Heard, Fundamentals of Mobile Heavy Equipment:

(mechanics, engineering) A continuous track used to propel vehicles that drive on difficult terrain.