MACHINE

I. noun Usage: often attributive see: may Date: circa 1545 1. a constructed thing whether material or immaterial, conveyance , vehicle , a military engine, any of various apparatuses formerly used to produce stage effects, e. an assemblage of parts that transmit forces, motion, and energy one to another in a predetermined manner, an instrument (as a lever) designed to transmit or modify the application of power, force, or motion, a mechanically, electrically, or electronically operated device for performing a task, a coin-operated device , ~ry , 2. a living organism or one of its functional systems, one that resembles a ~ (as in being methodical, tireless, or consistently productive) , c. a combination of persons acting together for a common end along with the agencies they use, a highly organized political group under the leadership of a boss or small clique, a literary device or contrivance introduced for dramatic effect, II. transitive verb (~d; machining) Date: 1853 to process by or as if by ~, machinability also ~ability noun machinable also ~able adjective