Wiktionary

mechanic

See also: Mechanic

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English mekanyk (“mechanical”), from Old French mecanique, from Latin mechanicus (“of or belonging to machines or mechanics, inventive”), from Ancient Greek μηχανικός (mēkhanikós, “pertaining to machines or contrivance, mechanic, ingenious, inventive”), from μηχανή (mēkhanḗ, “a machine, contrivance”); see machine.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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mechanic

  1. (archaic) mechanical; relating to mechanics or the laws of motion in physics
    • 1691, John Ray, The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation. […], London: […] Samuel Smith, […], →OCLC:
      […] these mechanick Philosophers being in no Way able to give an Account thereof from the necessary motion of Matter, unguided by Mind for Ends […]
  2. (archaic) mechanical; precise but lifeless, as if performed by machine
  3. (obsolete) Of or relating to a mechanic or artificer, or to the class of artisans; hence, rude; common; vulgar; base.

Derived terms

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Noun

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mechanic (plural mechanics)

  1. (now chiefly historical) A manual worker; a labourer or artisan. [from 16th c.]
    • 1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:
      His noble earnestness, his fidelity, his gallant shielding of her, his generous conquest of his own wrong and his own pride for her sake, are simply honourable, manly, and true. Nothing less worthy can be seen through the lustre of such qualities in the commonest mechanic, nothing less worthy can be seen in the best-born gentleman.
    • 1972, Christopher Hill, The World Turned Upside Down, Folio Society, published 2016, page 77:
      The lower orders were freer than they had ever been – free […] to choose their own lay preachers, mechanics like the rest of the congregation.
  2. Someone who builds or repairs machinery, a technician; now specifically, someone who works with and repairs the mechanical parts of a motor vehicle, aircraft or similar. [from 17th c.]
  3. A device, command, or feature which allows someone to achieve a specific task. [from 20th c.]
    This game has a mechanic where if you run toward a ledge you automatically jump off rather than just falling.
  4. (slang) A hitman. [from 20th c.]
    • 1976, Newton Thornburg, Cutter and Bone, Little, Brown, →ISBN, page 250:
      And from then on, his bag was silence. Silence and killing. Overnight he became the best grunt we had, a real killer, a mechanic.
  5. (gambling) A cheat who manipulates the cards or dice.
    Hyponyms: card mechanic, dice mechanic
    • 1969, Bruce Jackson, A Thief's Primer, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 91:
      I can do other things beside burglarizing. I'm a first-class crap dealer, I'm a pretty good card mechanic, pretty good dice mechanic.
    • 1995, Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese, Casino, spoken by Ace (Robert De Niro):
      It was so obvious. I mean, all of Nicky's half-assed mechanics, they were real signal happy.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Further reading

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Middle English

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Adjective

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mechanic

  1. Alternative form of mekanyk
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