mechanism

American  

[mek-uh-niz-uhm] / ˈmɛk əˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. an assembly of moving parts performing a complete functional motion, often being part of a large machine; linkage.

2. the agency or means by which an effect is produced or a purpose is accomplished.

3. machinery or mechanical appliances in general.

4. the structure or arrangement of parts of a machine or similar device, or of anything analogous.

5. the mechanical part of something; any mechanical device.

   the mechanism of a clock.

6. routine methods or procedures; mechanics.

   the mechanism of government.

7. mechanical execution, as in painting or music; technique.

8. the theory that everything in the universe is produced by matter in motion; materialism.

9. Philosophy.

   1. the view that all natural processes are explicable in terms of classical mechanics.

   2. the view that all biological processes may be described in physicochemical terms.

10. 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 British  

/ ˈmɛkəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. a system or structure of moving parts that performs some function, esp in a machine

2. something resembling a machine in the arrangement and working of its parts

   the mechanism of the ear

3. any form of mechanical device or any part of such a device

4. a process or technique, esp of execution

   the mechanism of novel writing

5. philosophy

   1. the doctrine that human action can be explained in purely physical terms, whether mechanical or biological

   2. the explanation of phenomena in causal rather than teleological or essentialist terms

   3. the view that the task of science is to seek such explanations

   4. strict determinism Compare dynamism vitalism

6. psychoanal

   1. the ways in which psychological forces interact and operate

   2. a structure having an influence on the behaviour of a person, such as a defence mechanism

---

Other Word Forms

• antimechanism noun
• mechanismic adjective

Etymology

Origin of mechanism

First recorded in 1655–65; from New Latin mēchanismus; Late Latin mēchanisma “contrivance,” from Greek mēchan(ḗ) machine + New Latin -ismus, Late Latin -isma -ism

Example Sentences

"The markets are a rational mechanism," analyst Ives said of company shares being punished by AI worries.

From Barron's

A new spray mechanism delivers a “lighter, more controlled application,” it says.

From The Wall Street Journal

"There's still so much to learn about how the whole body adapts to changes in oxygen, and how we could leverage these mechanisms to treat a range of conditions."

From Science Daily

Future therapies could perhaps act only on the skin, without interfering with the mechanisms that tell us when to stop scratching, Gualdani said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The goal of this trend “is a desire to rebalance time and energy and reduce distractability and related stress,” said Khodayari, whose research focuses on the mechanisms of attention and emotion.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• agency
• operation
• procedure
• process
• system
• technique