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Glite Dictionary
wheelwork

wheelwork

1 7.8
The wheels and gears inside a machine that make it move
  • noun
  • /ˈwiːlˌwɜrk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mecanismo
  • Understanding the wheelwork inside the engine is essential for its maintenance.

Examples

  • He takes a guess; he anticipates. It's the way you feel something will happen, and then you watch it uncannily come to pass, occurring almost in measured stages so you can see the wheelwork of your idea fitting into place.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The engineer studied the wheelwork of the clock to ensure it was functioning properly.

  • Diesel electric power to start, then free energy from the "wheelwork of Nature."

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The intricate wheelwork in this old music box produces beautiful melodies.

Synonyms

gear
vswheelwork
180 2.9

A wheel with teeth that makes parts of a machine move

is the interconnected set of such components working together inside a device
clockwork
vswheelwork
45 4.5

A set of small gears and a coiled spring that makes clocks or watches run

is the general term for interconnected moving parts in any mechanical device
gearing
vswheelwork
  • Specialized
1 6.3

The parts in a machine that work together to change speed and force

is the actual built set of interconnected moving parts inside a device

How Complex

machine
∞ 1.0
mechanism
  • Jargon
91 4.4
wheelwork
  • Specialized
1 7.8
gear
180 2.9
cog
  • Specialized
8 5.6

Surface Forms

wheelwork singular
wheelworks plural

Morphology

wheelwork = wheel + work (transparent) = wheel + work

Built as a straightforward compound 'wheel' + 'work' where the meaning 'mechanism of wheels' is directly inferable from the components.

Etymology

The word wheelwork comes from the two words wheel and work, meaning 'wheel' and 'work'. Think of the small turning wheels inside a clock or watch. That's why wheelwork means the connected wheels and gears inside a machine.