universal joint

noun Machinery.

a coupling between rotating shafts set at an angle to one another, allowing for rotation in three planes.

Origin of universal joint

First recorded in 1670–80

Also called universal, universal coupling.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for universal coupling

universal joint

universal coupling

noun

a form of coupling between two rotating shafts allowing freedom of angular movement in all directions

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