Mechanism" : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: Mechanism	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for Mechanism
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
mechanism n the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction; "he determined unique mechanisms for the photochemical reactions" Synonym(s): mechanism, chemical mechanism the technical aspects of doing something; "a mechanism of social control"; "mechanisms of communication"; "the mechanics of prose style" Synonym(s): mechanism, mechanics a natural object resembling a machine in structure or function; "the mechanism of the ear"; "the mechanism of infection" (philosophy) the philosophical theory that all phenomena can be explained in terms of physical or biological causes device consisting of a piece of machinery; has moving parts that perform some function
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Mechanism \Mech"anism\, n. [Cf. F. m[82]canisme, L. mechanisma. See {Mechanic}.] 1. The arrangement or relation of the parts of a machine; the parts of a machine, taken collectively; the arrangement or relation of the parts of anything as adapted to produce an effect; as, the mechanism* of a watch; the mechanism of a sewing machine; the mechanism of a seed pod. 2. Mechanical operation or action. He acknowledges nothing besides matter and motion; so that all must be performed either by mechanism or accident. --Bentley. 3. (Kinematics) An ideal machine; a combination of movable bodies constituting a machine, but considered only with regard to relative movements.