mechanic

[ muh-kan-ik ]

noun

1. a person who repairs and maintains machinery, motors, etc.:

   an automobile mechanic.

2. a worker who is skilled in the use of tools, machines, equipment, etc.
3. Slang. a person skilled in the dishonest handling of cards, dice, or other objects used in games of chance.

mechanic

/ mɪˈkænɪk /

noun

1. a person skilled in maintaining or operating machinery, motors, etc
2. archaic.
   a common labourer

Word History and Origins

Origin of mechanic¹

1350–1400; Middle English: mechanical < Latin mēchanicus < Greek mēchanikós, equivalent to mēchan ( ḗ ) machine + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of mechanic¹

C14: from Latin mēchanicus, from Greek mēkhanikos, from mēkhanē machine

Example Sentences

Mustard is working to supplant — or at least augment — some of that pricey coaching with the launch of a new mobile app designed to analyze an athlete’s mechanics and offer corrective tips to help them improve.

From TechCrunch

In addition to the vortex work, he and his students have been busy exploring “topological mechanics,” which involves teasing out strange, quantum-like properties in systems composed of a large number of identical rotating objects.

From Quanta Magazine

Baggott’s obsession with quantum mechanics is not driven by public demand.

From Nautilus

Sabine Hossenfelder is a Research Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies where she works on modifications of general relativity, phenomenological quantum gravity, and the foundations of quantum mechanics.

From Nautilus

Afterward, he is willing to rely on brute mechanics to outplay enemies, by bringing in a completely unorthodox chain of moves which give him the advantage.

From Ozy

A car mechanic who goes by the name “Big Perm” said he noticed a change in the neighborhood.

From The Daily Beast

One trucker did shout an obscenity, and a musclebound mechanic told them to go and do something useful like study.

From The Daily Beast

Sure, the story makes no sense, but look how tight that shooting mechanic is!

From The Daily Beast

It plugs into the same port that a mechanic uses to check the computer, and it works on most cars made after 1996.

From The Daily Beast

Even the most sketch-ball, scheming car mechanic knows how much those brake pads cost.

From The Daily Beast

You will find these two traits in every grade of Scotch life—in tradesman, mechanic, and peasant.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Parsons lost no time; and, skilled mechanic that he was, commenced his work at once.

From Project Gutenberg

All the money saved by this skillful mechanic and his thrifty wife was gone, and this girl had to go to work.

From Project Gutenberg

Besides being the best boss mechanic in the West, he was a first-class fighting man, with a clear head and nerve to burn.

From Project Gutenberg

I left the master-mechanic at the door of a Greek eat-shop that he patronized and went on up to the Bullard.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• machinist
• operator
• worker