n.
Pronunciation: ' me-k ə - ˌ ni-z ə m
Function: noun
Date: 1662
1 a : a piece of machinery b : a process, technique, or system for achieving a result
2 : mechanical operation or action : WORKING 2
3 : a doctrine that holds natural processes (as of life) to be mechanically determined and capable of complete explanation by the laws of physics and chemistry
4 : the fundamental processes involved in or responsible for an action, reaction, or other natural phenomenon < mechanism s of organic evolution> ― compare DEFENSE MECHANISM