lantern pinion
- noun
- Specialized
:
piñón de linterna
- A lantern pinion consists of cylindrical rods instead of the usual gear teeth.
Examples
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The old clock’s lantern pinion was badly worn and needed to be replaced.
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Many lantern pinions are made of brass for durability.
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Repairing antique clocks often involves fabricating a new lantern pinion.
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The lantern pinion is crucial for the clock's mechanism.
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The old clock’s lantern pinion was badly worn and needed to be replaced.
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Repairing antique clocks often involves fabricating a new lantern pinion.
-
Many lantern pinions are made of brass for durability.
Synonyms
3
8.9
A small gear with few teeth that fits a larger gear
A small clock gear with round bars instead of teeth
Surface Forms
Morphology
lantern + pinion
The word 'pinion' clearly signals a small gear, so a B1 learner who knows that constituent will infer this is a type of gear. However, 'lantern' in its ordinary sense (a portable lamp) does not transparently indicate the technical feature (cylindrical bars instead of teeth), so the precise structural meaning is not predictable without specialist knowledge.
Etymology
The noun lantern pinion comes from how the small gear looks: instead of flat 'teeth' it has short round bars like the bars of an old lantern, and the wheel part is called a pinion. That's why the name now means 'a small gear with round bars' used in clocks.