crankshaft

[ krangk-shaft, -shahft ]

/ ˈkræŋkˌʃæft, -ˌʃɑft /

noun Machinery.

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

Nearby words

Origin of crankshaft

First recorded in 1850–55; crank¹ + shaft

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crankshaft

The camshaft and magneto were driven by the crankshaft through a three-member train of spur gears (see Figures 9, 10 and 11).
The Wright Brothers' Engines and Their Design|Leonard S. Hobbs.
A heavier flywheel, with a governor resting in the upper recess, was pressed onto the crankshaft.
Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 240|Anonymous
A slotted link is used with a crankshaft for regulating the length of stroke.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 1157, March 5, 1898|Various
The cylinders were cast in pairs and bolted to a two-piece aluminum case split at the line of the crankshaft.
The Wright Brothers' Engines and Their Design|Leonard S. Hobbs.

After keying the flywheel to the lower end of the crankshaft, Charles and Frank decided to make an attempt to run the engine.
Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 240|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for crankshaft

crankshaft

/ (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

Word Origin and History for crankshaft

crankshaft

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