"machine" Definition

Definitions for the word "machine" from multiple English dictionaries.

1. n.
In general, any combination of bodies so connected that their relative motions are constrained, and by means of which force and motion may be transmitted and modified, as a screw and its nut, or a lever arranged to turn about a fulcrum or a pulley about its pivot, etc.; especially, a construction, more or less complex, consisting of a combination of moving parts, or simple mechanical elements, as wheels, levers, cams, etc., with their supports and connecting framework, calculated to constitute a prime mover, or to receive force and motion from a prime mover or from another machine, and transmit, modify, and apply them to the production of some desired mechanical effect or work, as weaving by a loom, or the excitation of electricity by an electrical machine.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
2. n.
Any mechanical contrivance, as the wooden horse with which the Greeks entered Troy; a coach; a bicycle.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
3. n.
A person who acts mechanically or at will of another.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
4. n.
A combination of persons acting together for a common purpose, with the agencies which they use; as, the social machine.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
5. n.
A political organization arranged and controlled by one or more leaders for selfish, private or partisan ends.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
6. n.
Supernatural agency in a poem, or a superhuman being introduced to perform some exploit.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
7. v. t.
To subject to the action of machinery; to effect by aid of machinery; to print with a printing machine.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
8. n.
1 apparatus for applying mechanical power, having several interrelated parts. 2 particular machine, esp. A vehicle or an electrical or electronic apparatus. 3 controlling system of an organization etc. (party machine). 4 person who acts mechanically. 5 (esp. In comb.) Mechanical dispenser with slots for coins (cigarette machine). v. (-ning) make or operate on with a machine. [greek mekhane]
Source: Oxford English Dictionary, 1884

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Additional Info
This page provides a list of definitions and meanings for "machine" from various historical English dictionaries. By displaying multiple definitions, you can compare and contrast different meanings and nuances of a word, phrase, or slang. You can also see the changes in meaning of "machine" over time by viewing the definitions from different dictionaries published at different times in history. The page also includes other information to help users expand their vocabulary and understand the context of the word.

Important Notes
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