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lost motion

American  

noun

Machinery.

  1. motion of a machine or mechanism, especially a reciprocating one, during which no useful work is performed.

  2. motion between parts in an assembly due to manufacturing tolerances, adjustments, slip, or wear.

Etymology

Origin of lost motion

First recorded in 1875–80

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.