Machine

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1. a piece of equipment that does a particular job by using electricity, steam, gas etc 2. a person or animal that does something very effectively 3. the people and things that are used for achieving a particular aim The word machine comes from the Greek word ‘makhana’ meaning ‘device’. The word fir
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Definition

1. a piece of equipment that does a particular job by using electricity, steam, gas etc

2. a person or animal that does something very effectively

3. the people and things that are used for achieving a particular aim

Origin and usage

The word machine comes from the Greek word ‘makhana’ meaning ‘device’. The word first appeared in English around 1540 to describe a structure of any kind. Eventually, its modern usage, as a word to describe a piece of equipment with lots of moving parts, emerged around 1670.

Examples

The word machine has many different meanings, but it is most frequently used to describe a device or piece of equipment with several moving parts that uses power from a source like electricity or gas to do a particular job.

Machines can be simple, like a lever or pulley, or they can be more complex, like a computer or an automobile. The main purpose of a machine is to make things easier for people, like lifting and moving heavy objects around, working out a mathematical equation or even ordering food from a restaurant. These days, it’s practically impossible to get through the day without using a machine of one variety or another!

Quotations

“We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they’re called memories. Some take us forward, they’re called dreams.”

(Jeremy Irons)

“Machines take me by surprise with great frequency.”

(Alan Turing)

Synonyms

device; appliance; contraption

View the full definition in the Macmillan Dictionary.

4 Related questions Answers found

What is a simple machine simple definition

Definition of simple machine : any of various elementary mechanisms formerly considered as the elements of which all machines are composed and including the lever, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw Examples of simple machine in a Sentence

What is machines

: any of various elementary mechanisms formerly considered as the elements of which all machines are composed and including the lever, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw.

What is a simple machine for kids

Kids Definition of simple machine. : one of the fundamental devices that all machines were formerly thought to be made from The lever, axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw are the classic simple machines. More from Merriam-Webster on simple machine. Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with simple machine.

What are the 6 types of simple machines

There are six basic types of simple machines: the inclined plane, the wedge, the screw, the lever, the wheel and axle and the pulley. There are six basic types of simple machines: the inclined plane, the wedge, the screw, the lever, the wheel and axle and the pulley.