machine

English Online Dictionary. What means machine‎? What does machine mean?

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French machine, from Latin māchina (“a machine, engine, contrivance, device, stratagem, trick”), from Doric Greek μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhănā́), cognate with Attic Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhănḗ, “a machine, engine, contrivance, device”), from which comes mechanical. Displaced native Old English searu.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /məˈʃiːn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /məˈʃin/
• (Indic) IPA^(key): /meˈʃiːn/, /ma-/, /mi-/
  • (nonstandard) IPA^(key): /ˈmiʃin/
    • Homophone: mission
• Rhymes: -iːn
• Hyphenation: ma‧chine

Noun

machine (plural machines)

2. A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect.
3. (dated) A vehicle operated mechanically, such as an automobile or an airplane.
4. (telephony, abbreviation) An answering machine or, by extension, voice mail.

5. (computing) A computer.

6. (figuratively) A person or organisation that seemingly acts like a machine, being particularly efficient, single-minded, or unemotional.

7. Especially, the group that controls a political or similar organization; a combination of persons acting together for a common purpose, with the agencies which they use.
8. (poetry) Supernatural agency in a poem, or a superhuman being introduced to perform some exploit.
9. (politics, chiefly US) The system of special interest groups that supports a political party, especially in urban areas.
10. (euphemistic, obsolete) Penis.
11. (historical) A contrivance in the Ancient Greek theatre for indicating a change of scene, by means of which a god might cross the stage or deliver a divine message; the deus ex machina.
12. (obsolete) A bathing machine.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:machine

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Ainu: マシン
• → Bengali: মেশিন (meśin)
• → Cowlitz: məšín
• → Irish: meaisín
• → Japanese: マシン (mashin)
• → Korean: 머신 (meosin)
• → Maori: mīhini
• → Punjabi

  Gurmukhi script: ਮਸ਼ੀਨ (maśīn)

  Shahmukhi script: مشین (maśīn)

• → Swahili: mashine
• → Tok Pisin: masin

Translations

References

• machine on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb

machine (third-person singular simple present machines, present participle machining, simple past and past participle machined)

1. To make by machinery.
2. To shape or finish by machinery; (usually, more specifically) to shape subtractively by metal-cutting with machine-controlled toolpaths.

Derived terms

• machinist
• machinofacture

Translations

Further reading

• “machine”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “machine”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “machine n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present

Anagrams

• Eichman

Dutch

Alternative forms

• machien (archaic or colloquial)

Etymology

Borrowed from French machine, from Middle French machine, from Latin māchina, from Doric Greek μᾱχανᾱ́ (mākhanā́).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɑˈʃinə/
• Hyphenation: ma‧chi‧ne
• Rhymes: -inə

Noun

machine f (plural machines, diminutive machientje n or machinetje n)

1. machine (mechanical or electrical device)

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: masjien
• → Caribbean Javanese: mesin
• → Malay: mesin
  • Indonesian: mesin
  • → Sundanese: ᮙᮨᮞᮤᮔ᮪ (mesin)
• → Sranan Tongo: masyin
  • → Aukan: masini
  • → Caribbean Hindustani: mashin
  • → Kari'na: masini
  • → Saramaccan: masíni

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French machine, borrowed from Latin machina (“a machine, engine, contrivance, device, stratagem, trick”), itself a borrowing from Doric Ancient Greek μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhănā́). Not to be confused with machin, which means "thing".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ʃin/

Noun

machine f (plural machines)

1. machine, device (clarification of this definition is needed)
2. (slang) machine (a person who is very efficient)

Derived terms

Related terms

• machinal
• machination
• machiner
• machinisme
• machiniste
• mécanique
• mécanisme

Descendants

Further reading

• “machine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• chemina

Middle French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin machina.

Noun

machine f (plural machines)

1. machine; device

Descendants

• French: machine (see there for further descendants)
• → English: machine (see there for further descendants)

References

• Etymology and history of “machine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (machine, supplement)

Walloon

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ʃin/

Noun

machine f (plural machines)

1. machine