Nearby Words

machinery

[muh-shee-nuh-ree] Origin

ma·chin·er·y

[muh-shee-nuh-ree]
noun, plural -er·ies.
1.
an assemblage of machines or mechanical apparatuses: the machinery of a factory.
2.
the parts of a machine, collectively: the machinery of a watch.
3.
a group of people or a system by which action is maintained or by which some result is obtained: the machinery of government.
4.
a group of contrivances for producing stage effects.
5.
the group or aggregate of literary machines, especially those of supernatural agency (epic machinery) in an epic poem.

Origin:
1680–90; machine + -ery

an·ti·ma·chin·er·y, adjective


3. organization, structure, setup.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Machinery is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Collins
World English Dictionary
machinery (məˈʃiːnərɪ)
 
n , pl -eries
1.  machines, machine parts, or machine systems collectively
2.  a particular machine system or set of machines
3.  a system similar to a machine: the machinery of government
4.  literary devices used for effect in epic poetry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

machinery
1680s; from machine + -ery. Originally theatrical, "devices for creating stage effects;" meaning "machines collectively" is attested from 1731.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Images for machinery
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