MECHANICAL DEVICE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does mechanical device mean? 

• MECHANICAL DEVICE (noun)
  The noun MECHANICAL DEVICE has 1 sense:

1. mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles

  Familiarity information: MECHANICAL DEVICE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MECHANICAL DEVICE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("mechanical device" is a kind of...):

mechanism (device consisting of a piece of machinery; has moving parts that perform some function)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mechanical device"):

swing (mechanical device used as a plaything to support someone swinging back and forth)

seeder (a mechanical device that sows grass seed or grain evenly over the ground)

shutter (a mechanical device on a camera that opens and closes to control the time of a photographic exposure)

binding; ski binding (one of a pair of mechanical devices that are attached to a ski and that will grip a ski boot; the bindings should release in case of a fall)

splicer (a mechanical device for joining two pieces of paper or film or magnetic tape)

splint (an orthopedic mechanical device used to immobilize and protect a part of the body (as a broken leg))

sprinkler (mechanical device that attaches to a garden hose for watering lawn or garden)

stator; stator coil (mechanical device consisting of the stationary part of a motor or generator in or around which the rotor revolves)

stoker (a mechanical device for stoking a furnace)

stretcher (a mechanical device used to make something larger (as shoes or gloves) by stretching it)

striker (the part of a mechanical device that strikes something)

supply chamber (a mechanical device for holding something and supplying it as needed)

ride (a mechanical device that you ride for amusement or excitement)

pickup; pickup arm; tone arm (mechanical device consisting of a light balanced arm that carries the cartridge)

trap (a device to hurl clay pigeons into the air for trapshooters)

vibrator (mechanical device that produces vibratory motion; used for massage)

vibrator (a mechanical device that vibrates)

voting machine (a mechanical device for recording and counting votes mechanically)

vane; weather vane; weathervane; wind vane (mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind)

wheelwork (mechanical device including an arrangement of wheel in a machine (especially a train of gears))

winder (mechanical device around which something can be wound)

key; winder (mechanical device used to wind another device that is driven by a spring (as a clock))

windscreen wiper; windshield wiper; wiper; wiper blade (a mechanical device that cleans the windshield)

escapement (mechanical device that regulates movement)

bumper (a mechanical device consisting of bars at either end of a vehicle to absorb shock and prevent serious damage)

bumper guard (vertical bars attached to a bumper to prevent locking bumpers with another vehicle)

carburetor; carburettor (mixes air with gasoline vapor prior to explosion)

compressor (a mechanical device that compresses gasses)

copyholder (mechanical device used in printing; holds the copy for the compositor)

coupler; coupling (a mechanical device that serves to connect the ends of adjacent objects)

crimper; curler; hair curler; roller (a mechanical device consisting of a cylindrical tube around which the hair is wound to curl it)

diaphragm; stop (a mechanical device in a camera that controls size of aperture of the lens)

dicer (a mechanical device used for dicing food)

electromechanical device (a mechanical device that is operated by electricity)

broadcaster; spreader (a mechanical device for scattering something (seed or fertilizer or sand etc.) in all directions)

gear lever; gearshift; gearstick; shifter (a mechanical device for engaging and disengaging gears)

grab (a mechanical device for gripping an object)

claw; hook (a mechanical device that is curved or bent to suspend or hold or pull something)

machine; simple machine (a device for overcoming resistance at one point by applying force at some other point)

pantograph (mechanical device used to copy a figure or plan on a different scale)

piston; plunger (mechanical device that has a plunging or thrusting motion)

propeller; propellor (a mechanical device that rotates to push against air or water)

pump (a mechanical device that moves fluid or gas by pressure or suction)

rachet; ratch; ratchet (mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction)

auto-changer; changer; record changer (an automatic mechanical device on a record player that causes new records to be played without manual intervention)

 Context examples 

A part of a mechanical device designed to be used while held in the hand.

(Handpiece Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

A mechanical device designed to blend materials or an electronic device designed to blend signals.

(Mixer Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

Sidy Ndao, assistant professor of mechanical and materials engineering, said his research group's development of a nano-thermal-mechanical device, or thermal diode, came after flipping around the question of how to better cool computers.

(Harnessing Heat to Power Computers, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)