wheel and axle

noun

1. a simple machine consisting, in its typical form, of a cylindrical drum to which a wheel concentric with the drum is firmly fastened: ropes are so applied that as one unwinds from the wheel, another rope is wound on to the drum.

wheel and axle

noun

1. a simple machine for raising weights in which a rope unwinding from a wheel is wound onto a cylindrical drum or shaft coaxial with or joined to the wheel to provide mechanical advantage

Word History and Origins

Origin of wheel and axle¹

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

The sensitivity of the wheel-and-axle system to all these factors meant that it could not have been developed in phases, he said.

From The Daily Beast