01 a. Pertaining to, governed by, or in accordance with, mechanics, or the laws of motion; pertaining to the quantitative relations of force and …
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1.
Pertaining to, governed by, or in accordance with, mechanics, or the laws of motion; pertaining to the quantitative relations of force and matter on a macroscopic scale, as distinguished from mental, vital, chemical, electrical, electronic, atomic etc.; as, mechanical principles; a mechanical theory;
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2.
Of or pertaining to a machine or to machinery or tools; made or formed by a machine or with tools; as, mechanical precision; mechanical products.“We have also divers mechanical arts.” — Bacon.
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3.
Done as if by a machine; uninfluenced by will or emotion; proceeding automatically, or by habit, without special intention or reflection; as, mechanical singing; mechanical verses; mechanical service.
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4.
Made and operated by interaction of forces without a directing intelligence; as, a mechanical universe.
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5.
Obtained by trial, by measurements, etc.; approximate; empirical. See the 2d Note under Geometric. See: Geometric
Phrases & compounds
Mechanical effect —
effective power; useful work exerted, as by a machine, in a definite time.
Mechanical engineering —
See the Note under Engineering.
Mechanical maneuvers —
the application of mechanical appliances to the mounting, dismounting, and moving of artillery.
Mechanical philosophy —
the principles of mechanics applied to the investigation of physical phenomena.
Mechanical powers —
certain simple instruments, such as the lever and its modifications (the wheel and axle and the pulley), the inclined plane with its modifications (the screw and the wedge), which convert a small force acting through a great space into a great force acting through a small space, or vice versa, and are used separately or in combination.
Mechanical solution —
a solution of a problem by any art or contrivance not strictly geometrical, as by means of the ruler and compasses, or other instruments.