Machine

Machine

Noun / Verb · /məˈʃiːn/

Definition

(Noun) an apparatus using or applying mechanical power and having several parts, each with a definite function; any device that transmits or modifies force to perform useful work; an efficient and organised system; (Verb) to make or work on with a machine.

Origin

From French machine, from Latin machina (device, contrivance), from Greek mēkhanē (device, means), from mēkhos (means, expedient), related to mēkhanasthai (to contrive). The word entered English in the 16th century. The industrial sense developed through the 18th century with the Industrial Revolution. The political machine and the social machine are figurative extensions from the mechanical sense.