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crankshaft

[krangk-shaft, -shahft]
noun Machinery.
  1. a shaft having one or more cranks, usually formed as integral parts.
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Origin of crankshaft

First recorded in 1850–55; crank1 + shaft
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for crankshaft

Historical Examples

  • This crank is mounted on a crankshaft carried on the metal tube M.

    Boys' Book of Model Boats

    Raymond Francis Yates

  • A heavy flywheel, J, is now fitted to the inside end of the crankshaft.

    Boys' Book of Model Boats

    Raymond Francis Yates

  • In the Gnome motor the cylinders revolved and the crankshaft was stationary.

    The Romance of Aircraft

    Lawrence Yard Smith

  • What if the crankshaft could be repaired sooner than they supposed?

    The Castle Of The Shadows

    Alice Muriel Williamson

  • The crankshaft is of chrome nickel steel, carried on seven bearings.

    A History of Aeronautics

    E. Charles Vivian

British Dictionary definitions for crankshaft

crankshaft

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

Word Origin and History for crankshaft

n.

1854, from crank (v.) + shaft (n.). The basic form of the mechanism appears to date from Roman times.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper