(used with a singular verb)the branch of physics that deals with the action of forces on bodies and with motion, comprised of kinetics, statics, and kinematics.
(used with a singular verb)the theoretical and practical application of this science to machinery, mechanical appliances, etc.
(usually used with a plural verb)the technical aspect or working part; mechanism; structure.
(usually used with a plural verb)routine or basic methods, procedures, techniques, or details: the mechanics of running an office; the mechanics of baseball.
Origin of mechanics
First recorded in 1640–50; see origin at mechanic, -ics
mechanic
[muh-kan-ik]
noun
a person who repairs and maintains machinery, motors, etc.: an automobile mechanic.
a worker who is skilled in the use of tools, machines, equipment, etc.
Slang. a person skilled in the dishonest handling of cards, dice, or other objects used in games of chance.
(functioning as singular)the branch of science, divided into statics, dynamics, and kinematics, concerned with the equilibrium or motion of bodies in a particular frame of referenceSee also quantum mechanics, wave mechanics, statistical mechanics
(functioning as singular)the science of designing, constructing, and operating machines
the working parts of a machine
the technical aspects of somethingthe mechanics of poetic style
mechanic
noun
a person skilled in maintaining or operating machinery, motors, etc
archaica common labourer
Word Origin for mechanic
C14: from Latin mēchanicus, from Greek mēkhanikos, from mēkhanēmachine
1640s, based on Late Latin mechanica, from Greek mekhanike, mekhanika (see mechanic (adj.)); also see -ics.
mechanic
adj.
late 14c., "pertaining to or involving mechanical labor" (now usually mechanical), also "having to do with tools," from Latin mechanicus, from Greek mekhanikos "full of resources, inventive, ingenious," literally "mechanical, pertaining to machines," from mekhane (see machine (n.)). Meaning "of the nature of or pertaining to machines" is from 1620s.
mechanic
n.
"manual laborer," late 14c., from Latin mechanicus, from Greek mekhanikos "an engineer," noun use of adjective meaning "full of resources, inventive, ingenious" (see mechanic (adj.)). Sense of "one who is employed in manual labor, a handicraft worker, an artisan" (chief sense through early 19c.) is attested from 1560s. Sense of "skilled workman who is concerned with making or repair of machinery" is from 1660s, but not the main sense until the rise of the automobile.
The branch of physics concerned with the relationships between matter, force, and energy, especially as they affect the motion of objects. See also classical physicsquantum mechanics.
The functional aspect of a system, such as the mechanics of blood circulation.
The branch of physics that deals with the motion of material objects. The term mechanics generally refers to the motion of large objects, whereas the study of motion at the level of the atom or smaller is the domain of quantum mechanics.
