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mechanism
[ mek-uh-niz-uhm ]
noun
- an assembly of moving parts performing a complete functional motion, often being part of a large machine; linkage.
- the agency or means by which an effect is produced or a purpose is accomplished.
- machinery or mechanical appliances in general.
- the structure or arrangement of parts of a machine or similar device, or of anything analogous.
- the mechanical part of something; any mechanical device:
the mechanism of a clock.
- routine methods or procedures; mechanics:
the mechanism of government.
- mechanical execution, as in painting or music; technique.
- the theory that everything in the universe is produced by matter in motion; materialism. Compare dynamism ( def 1 ), vitalism ( def 1 ).
- Philosophy.
- the view that all natural processes are explicable in terms of classical mechanics.
- the view that all biological processes may be described in physicochemical terms.
- Psychoanalysis. the habitual operation and interaction of psychological forces within an individual that assist in interpreting or dealing with the physical or psychological environment.
mechanism
/ ˈɛəˌɪə /
noun
- a system or structure of moving parts that performs some function, esp in a machine
- something resembling a machine in the arrangement and working of its parts
the mechanism of the ear
- any form of mechanical device or any part of such a device
- a process or technique, esp of execution
the mechanism of novel writing
- philosophy
- the doctrine that human action can be explained in purely physical terms, whether mechanical or biological
- the explanation of phenomena in causal rather than teleological or essentialist terms
- the view that the task of science is to seek such explanations
- psychoanal
- the ways in which psychological forces interact and operate
- a structure having an influence on the behaviour of a person, such as a defence mechanism
Other Word Forms
- a·Ծm adjective
- t·a· noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of mechanism1
Example Sentences
Locked away for life, he’s picked up his old coping mechanism, dissociating by escaping into books, and he’s seething inside.
On Thursday, no agreement was reached on the details of mechanisms by which manufacturers may be able to make up a shortfall.
Gail Lynch, one of the organisers, says the group was born out of frustration, "disgruntled people find each other, and they need a mechanism to have their voice heard," she says.
Harris said he would like to "reach an agreement between the two governments on what legacy mechanisms would look like".
The mechanisms animals use to hibernate or slow their metabolism during unfavorable seasonal conditions are similar to those used by resurrecting creatures, who are just rather more extreme about it.
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