Word family noun machine machinery machinist mechanic mechanics mechanism mechanization adjective mechanical mechanized mechanistic verb machine mechanize adverb mechanically mechanistically
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmechanicalme‧chan‧i‧cal /mɪˈkænɪkəl/ ●●○ adjective 1 TEMaffecting or involving a machine The flight has been cancelled due to mechanical failure. The plane had to make an emergency landing because of mechanical problems.2 TEMusing power from an engine or machine to do a particular kind of work a mechanical digger a mechanical device3 THINK ABOUTa mechanical action, reply etc is one you do without thinking, and has been done many times before He was asked the same question so many times that the answer became mechanical.4 TEMsomeone who is mechanical understands how machines work5 technicalHP relating to or produced by physical forces the mechanical properties of solids —mechanically /-kli/ adverb The actors spoke their lines mechanically, hardly caring about the meaning. I’m not very mechanically minded (=not good at understanding how machines work and repairing them).Examples from the Corpus
mechanical• the space shuttle's mechanical arm• Oliver Evans had been a genius of steam and iron, of the mechanical arts.• Unlike mechanical clocks, which are completely blind to their surroundings, a biological clock gets reset every day by the sun.• But the Earth as mechanical device has been a harder idea to swallow.• Flemma said that a reliable mechanical device was needed for the thousands of patients who die while awaiting human heart transplants.• He loved anything mechanical, did Walter.• This occurs as the result of toxins that form as mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy.• The flight has been canceled due to mechanical failure.• In a bakery, the bread is rarely kneaded by hand but by large mechanical mixers.• As one microchip usually replaces many mechanical parts, the amount of labour needed in assembly is reduced.• A mechanical problem may be to blame for the crash.• A mechanical Santa made toys in the store window.• He watched the men harden to the mechanical slaughter.• Of course anything as scientific as a mechanical test has not always found favour with traditional craftsmen or indeed with business men.mechanical failure• For a long time, three main theories dominated discussion of the tragedy: bomb, missile or mechanical failure.• The crashes have been attributed to a variety of problems, from human error to software glitches to mechanical failure.• If it proves to be a mechanical failure, additional safety measures may be required.• Nothing, save an accident or mechanical failure could keep him from winning.• Police say mechanical failure has not yet been ruled out.• No mechanical failure, no crew problem, no communications mistakes and draws no conclusions.• Take-off even in the conventional manner is a critical phase, unforgiving of mechanical failure or human error.• It was no goddam accident, no goddam mechanical failure, some one deliberately unhitched that car.Origin mechanical (1400-1500) Late Latin mechanicus, from Greek, from mechane “machine” 