machine

Borrowed from Middle French machine, from Latin māchina (“a machine, engine, contrivance, device, stratagem, trick”), from Doric Greek μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhanā́), cognate with Attic Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhanḗ, “a machine, engine, contrivance, device”), from which comes mechanical.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /məˈʃin/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (UK)

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• Rhymes: -iːn

machine (plural machines)

1. A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect.
   • 2013 June 1, “A better waterworks”, in The Economist‎, volume 407, number 8838, page 5 (Technology Quarterly):

     An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.

2. (dated) A vehicle operated mechanically, such as an automobile or an airplane.
   • 1914 July, F. Britten Austin, “The Air-Scout”, in The Strand Magazine, volume XLVIII, London: George Newnes, Ltd., page 568:

     As the aviator turned his machine to reconnoitre in the new direction, he was surprised to see the hostile aeroplane between him and his objective.

   • 1928, Franklin W. Dixon, The Missing Chums, Grosset & Dunlap, page 1:

     "Joe, how soon will you be ready to roll?" Frank Hardy burst into the garage where his brother was working on a sleek, black-and-silver motorcycle. "Right now, if this machine kicks over," Joe replied, putting down a wrench.

3. (telephony, abbreviation) An answering machine or, by extension, voice mail.

   I called you earlier, but all I got was the machine.

4. (computing) A computer.

   Game developers assume they're pushing the limits of the machine.

   He refuses to turn off his Linux machine.

5. (figuratively) A person or organisation that seemingly acts like a machine, being particularly efficient, single-minded, or unemotional.

   Bruce Campbell was a "demon-killing machine" because he made quick work of killing demons.

   The government has become a money-making machine.

6. Especially, the group that controls a political or similar organization; a combination of persons acting together for a common purpose, with the agencies which they use.
   • Landor

     The whole machine of government ought not to bear upon the people with a weight so heavy and oppressive.

7. Supernatural agency in a poem, or a superhuman being introduced to perform some exploit.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Addison to this entry?)

8. (politics, chiefly US) The system of special interest groups that supports a political party, especially in urban areas.
   • 1902, The Friend

     A machine politician cannot see why the straight ticket (as be and his clique of party bosses prepare it) should not be voted by every citizen belonging to that party.

   • 2006, Jerry F. Hough, Changing Party Coalitions: The Mystery of the Red State-blue State Alignment, Algora Publishing →ISBN, page 37

     In essence, therefore, the right-fork strategy of the Democrats meant an alliance of the South with the political machines built on the non-Protestant immigrants in key Northeastern states.

   • 2013, Paul M. Green, Melvin G. Holli, The Mayors: The Chicago Political Tradition, fourth edition, SIU Press →ISBN, page 126

     He was thrust into a political maelstrom for which he was ill-prepared, and yet he was, most notably, the Chicago machine's political savior.

9. (euphemistic, obsolete) Penis.
   • 1749, [John Cleland], Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: Printed [by Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], OCLC 731622352:

     He now resumes his attempts in more form: first, he put one of the pillows under me, to give the blank of his aim a more favourable elevation, and another under my head, in ease of it; then spreading my thighs, and placing himself standing between them, made them rest upon his hips; applying then the point of his machine to the slit, into which he sought entrance.

10. (historical) A contrivance in the Ancient Greek theatre for indicating a change of scene, by means of which a god might cross the stage or deliver a divine message; the deus ex machina.

• See also Thesaurus:machine

• machine on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

machine (third-person singular simple present machines, present participle machining, simple past and past participle machined)

1. to make by machinery.
2. to shape or finish by machinery.

• machinist

• machine in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• machine in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

• Eichman

Borrowed from French machine, from Middle French machine, from Latin māchina, from Doric Greek μᾱχανᾱ́ (mākhanā́).

• IPA^(key): /mɑˈʃinə/

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• Hyphenation: ma‧chi‧ne
• Rhymes: -inə

machine f (plural machines, diminutive machientje n or machinetje n)

1. machine (mechanical or electrical device)

• machinaal
• machineren
• naaimachine
• nietmachine
• schrijfmachine
• vliegmachine
• wasmachine

• machinatie
• machinist
• mechaniek
• mechanisch

• Afrikaans: masjien

From Middle French machine, borrowed from Latin machina (“a machine, engine, contrivance, device, stratagem, trick”), itself a borrowing from Doric Ancient Greek μᾱχᾰνᾱ́ (mākhanā́).

• IPA^(key): /ma.ʃin/

• audio

  (file)

machine f (plural machines)

1. machine, device (clarification of this definition is needed)
2. (slang) very proficient person

   Ce type, c'est une vraie machine !

• machinal
• machination
• machiner
• machinisme
• machiniste
• mécanique
• mécanisme

• “machine” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• chemina

Borrowed from Latin machina.

machine f (plural machines)

1. machine; device

• English: machine (borrowing)
• French: machine

• “machine” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (machine, supplement)