crankshaft

American

[krangk-shaft, -shahft] / ˈkræŋkˌʃæft, -ˌʃɑft /

noun

Machinery.

a shaft having one or more cranks, usually formed as integral parts.

crankshaft British

/ ˈkræŋkˌʃɑːft /

noun

a shaft having one or more cranks, esp the main shaft of an internal-combustion engine to which the connecting rods are attached

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of crankshaft

First recorded in 1850–55; crank ¹ + shaft

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023