Standard Lemma guide

mechanism

noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zəm/
  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: [ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zm̩]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˈmek.ə.nɪ.zəm/
  • Australian: [ˈmek.əˌnɪ.zm̩]
  • CMU ARPABET: M EH1 K AH0 N IH2 Z AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: within a machine or machinery

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any combination of cams, gears, links, belts, chains and logical mechanical elements.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A group of entities, such as objects, that interact together.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A mental, physical, or chemical process.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Any process of, or system designed to manage useful energy conversion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The theory that all natural phenomena can be explained by physical causes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mechanicism

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the technical aspects of doing something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a mechanism of social control
  • mechanisms of communication
  • the mechanics of prose style

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mechanics

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: performance, execution, carrying out, carrying into action

8

noun

Meaning 8

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: device

Narrower terms: action, action mechanism, actuator, automaton, robot, golem, axis, axis of rotation, carriage, cartridge ejector, ejector, cartridge extractor, cartridge remover, extractor, clockwork, control, controller, cooling system, cooling, delayed action, drive, drive line, drive line system, fail-safe, film advance, gear, gear mechanism, homing device, hydraulic system, ignition, ignition system, lock, mechanical device, radiator, rotating mechanism, steering linkage, steering system, steering mechanism, tape drive, tape transport, transport, whirler, works, workings

9

noun

Meaning 9

(philosophy) the philosophical theory that all phenomena can be explained in terms of physical or biological causes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: philosophical doctrine, philosophical theory

10

noun

Meaning 10

a natural object resembling a machine in structure or function

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the mechanism of the ear
  • the mechanism of infection

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: natural object

Narrower terms: barrier, transmission mechanism, biological clock

11

noun

Meaning 11

the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he determined unique mechanisms for the photochemical reactions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chemical mechanism

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: chemical process, chemical change, chemical action

Narrower terms: biochemical mechanism

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *megh-der.? Ancient Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhănḗ)der. New Latin mechanismuslbor. English mechanism Learned borrowing from New Latin mechanismus.

Across languages

Translations

114 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: mekanizëm — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Arabic: آلِيَّة (ʔāliyya) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Armenian: մեխանիզմ (mexanizm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Azerbaijani: mexanizm — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Belarusian: механі́зм (mjexanízm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Bengali: যন্ত্রকৌশল (jontrokōuśol) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Bulgarian: механи́зъм (mehanízǎm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Burmese: စက်ကိရိယာ (cakki.ri.ya) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Burmese: ယန္တရား (yanta.ra:) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Burmese: ကိရိယာ (ki.ri.ya) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Catalan: mecanisme — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Chinese Mandarin: 機械 /机械 (jīxiè) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Chinese Mandarin: 機構 /机构 (jīgòu) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Chinese Mandarin: 機制 /机制 (jīzhì) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Czech: mechanismus — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Danish: mekanisme — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Dutch: mechanisme — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Esperanto: meĥanismo — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Esperanto: mekanismo — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Estonian: mehhanism — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Finnish: koneisto — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Finnish: mekanismi — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • French: mécanisme — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Galician: mecanismo — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Georgian: მექანიზმი (mekanizmi) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • German: Mechanismus — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Greek: μηχανισμός (michanismós) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Hebrew: מַנְגָּנוֹן (manganón) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Hindi: तंत्र (tantra) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Hindi: यंत्रावली (yantrāvalī) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Hindi: मेकैनिज़्म (mekainizm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Hungarian: mechanizmus — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Icelandic: vélhyggja — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Icelandic: gangverk — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Ido: mekanismo — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Italian: meccanismo — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Japanese: 仕組み (shikumi) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Japanese: 機構 (kikō) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Japanese: 絡繰り (karakuri) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Japanese: メカニズム (mekanizumu) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Kazakh: механизм (mexanizm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Khmer: យន្តម័យ (yŭəntaʼmay) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Khmer: យន្ត (yŭən) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Khmer: គ្រឿង (krɨəng) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Korean: 기구 (gigu) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Korean: 메커니즘 (mekeonijeum) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Kyrgyz: механизм (mehanizm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Lao: ກົນໄກ (kon kai) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Lao: ເຄື່ອງ (khư̄ang) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Lao: ຍົນ (nyon) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Latin: māchina — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Latvian: mehānisms — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Lithuanian: mechanizmas — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Macedonian: механи́зам (mehanízam) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Malay: mekanisme — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Mongolian: механизм (mexanizm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Norwegian Bokmål: mekanisme — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Iranian Persian: مِکانیزْم (mekânizm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Iranian Persian: سازوکار (sâzokâr) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Iranian Persian: ساز و کار (sâz o kâr) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Polish: mechanizm — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Portuguese: mecanismo — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Romanian: mecanism — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Russian: механи́зм (mexanízm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Serbo-Croatian: механѝзам — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Serbo-Croatian: mehanìzam — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Slovak: mechanizmus — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Slovene: mehanizem — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Spanish: mecanismo — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Swedish: mekanism — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Tagalog: sigmuan — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Tajik: механизм (mexanizm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Tatar: механизм (mexanizm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Telugu: యంత్రాంగం (yantrāṅgaṁ) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Thai: กลไก (gon-gai) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Thai: เครื่อง (krʉ̂ʉang) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Thai: ยนต์ (yon) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Turkish: mekanizma — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Turkmen: mehanizm — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Ukrainian: механі́зм (mexanízm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Urdu: میکانِزْم (mekānizm) — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Uzbek: mexanizm — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Vietnamese: máy móc — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Vietnamese: bộ máy — mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion
  • Finnish: koneisto — combination of machine elements
  • Polish: mechanizm — combination of machine elements
  • Finnish: koneisto — group of entities that interact together
  • Polish: mechanizm — group of entities that interact together
  • Belarusian: механі́зм (mjexanízm) — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Bulgarian: механи́зъм (mehanízǎm) — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Catalan: mecanisme — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Chinese Mandarin: 機理 /机理 (jīlǐ) — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Finnish: mekanismi — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • French: mécanisme — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Greek: μηχανισμός (michanismós) — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Italian: meccanismo — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Japanese: 仕組み (shikumi) — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Japanese: 機構 (kikō) — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Japanese: 絡繰り (karakuri) — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Latvian: mehānisms — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Polish: mechanizm — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Portuguese: mecanismo — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Romanian: mecanism — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Russian: механи́зм (mexanízm) — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Spanish: mecanismo — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Swedish: mekanism — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Ukrainian: механі́зм (mexanízm) — mental, chemical, or physical process
  • Finnish: koneisto — process of, or system designed to manage useful energy conversion
  • Finnish: mekanismi — process of, or system designed to manage useful energy conversion
  • Finnish: järjestelmä — process of, or system designed to manage useful energy conversion
  • Polish: mechanizm — process of, or system designed to manage useful energy conversion
  • Finnish: mekanismi — philosophy: theory that all natural phenomena can be explained by physical causes
  • Polish: mechanicyzm — philosophy: theory that all natural phenomena can be explained by physical causes
  • Spanish: mecanicismo — philosophy: theory that all natural phenomena can be explained by physical causes
Real reading context

mechanism in complete knowledge articles