noun
mechanism
MEHK-uh-nih-zuhm
noun
1
A system of moving parts that performs a function within a machine.
"The locking mechanism on the door was jammed."
2
A process or system by which something happens or is achieved.
"The report proposed a new mechanism for resolving disputes."
How to Use Mechanism
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe moving parts that make a machine work, or more broadly, any process that makes something happen.
Common pairings
defense mechanism
coping mechanism
trigger mechanism
Word Forms
mechanisms plural
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Etymology
A learned borrowing from New Latin mechanismus, ultimately from Greek mēkhanḗ ("machine").