lost motion

noun

, Machinery.

1. motion of a machine or mechanism, especially a reciprocating one, during which no useful work is performed.
2. motion between parts in an assembly due to manufacturing tolerances, adjustments, slip, or wear.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lost motion¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

"She lost motion and was roundly mocked. A horrendous week for the family/Trump brand even aside from trial, which is moving like a freight train tow a disastrous verdict."

From Salon

Still others cite the more scientifically defensible idea that there is a measure of plasticity in the brain, so that if the region that controls, say, the right arm, is damaged by, say, a stroke, it is sometimes possible for other parts of the brain to pick up the slack—a sort of neural rewiring that restores lost motion and function.

From Time

So that his colt would not get confused or lost, Motion assigned him Perpetually, on loan from Sheik Mohammed, whom Animal Kingdom follows up the hill for anywhere from a half-mile to a mile.

From New York Times

It has over 15,000 parts, but so carefully is it made that lost motion is reduced practically to zero.

From Scientific American

These chains in turn proved little better, as they lengthened, allowing lost motion, or broke altogether, so that eventually the quadrant was wholly abandoned, and recourse was finally had to the lever and link for raising and lowering the sliding-block.

From Project Gutenberg