Mēch'an-īzm, n.

(mĕk'an-īzm), n. [Fr. mécanisme, Sp. mecanismo, It. meccanismo, N. Lat. mechanismus; Lat. mechanisma, mechanica, Gr. μηχάνημα. See MECHANIC.]

1. Movement according to mechanical laws; mechanical action. [Hare.]
2. The construction of a machine; the arrangement and connection of moving and other parts in a machine, so as to answer a given purpose; the parts, taken collectively, by the action of which a machine produces its effects.