Machine: From a Greek Word for a Clever Device
A machine uses power to do work. The word also names political organisations, and it hides inside a famous theatrical phrase.
A machine is a device that applies power to do work. The Greek *mekhane* meant a contrivance or clever device, including the crane that lowered a god onto the stage at the end of a play — which is where *deus ex machina*, the god from the machine, comes from. English later applied it to political organisations that grind on regardless of who is in charge.
- A device that does work with power. *A washing machine.*
- An organisation working efficiently. *The party machine.*
- Machine as a modifier. *Machine translation.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | machine | A sewing machine. |
| Plural | machines | Vending machines. |
| Noun | machinery | Heavy machinery. |
| Adjective | mechanical | A mechanical fault. |
| Person | machinist | A skilled machinist. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The machine needs servicing.Countable.
- Heavy machinery is not allowed on the bridge.Machinery is uncountable.
- The ending is pure deus ex machina.A criticism: the problem is solved by an outside force.
The six simple machines
- Lever — a bar turning on a pivot
- Wheel and axle — turns a small force into a larger one
- Pulley — changes the direction of a force
- Inclined plane — a slope, trading distance for effort
- Wedge and screw — both variations on the inclined plane
From Latin *machina*, from Greek *mekhane*, a device or contrivance, related to *mekhos*, means or expedient. The same root gives *mechanic*, *mechanism* and *machination*.
What is a deus ex machina?
A sudden outside intervention that resolves a plot. The phrase comes from Greek theatre, where a crane lowered an actor playing a god onto the stage.
Machine or machinery?
A machine is one device; machinery is machines collectively and takes no plural.