The meaning of the word machine can vary depending on its context. It can be a piece of equipment, i.e. a device, that uses electricity to perform a particular type of work. Some machines use gasoline, natural gas, diesel or other fuels.
The term can also refer to a large organization or an extremely well controlled system. For example, if I say, “The publicity apparatus of the party favors John Smith,” I mean that the public body of the political party is extremely efficient and effective.
As a verb
When machine is a verb, it can mean to do something. For example, someone might say, “This material is machined at a factory in Thailand.”
The verb can also mean to work on something, such as a block of metal, and shape it into a finished product. In this context, machining can mean cutting, drilling, grinding, cutting, or bending into the desired shape. If something is easy to machine, it is said to be highly machinable.
Here are some definitions of terms provided by en.oxforddictionaries.com:
“1.1 Device that uses mechanical energy and consists of several parts, each of which has a defined function and which together perform a particular task. 1.2 Any device that transmits force or controls its application.
“1.3 A well-organized and effective group of powerful people. 1.4 A person who acts with the mechanical efficiency of a machine (“comedians are more than just amusing machines”).
Machines – mechanical equipment
A machine is a mechanical structure that uses electricity or another form of energy source to apply force and control motion. It does this to perform a specific action.
Humans, animals, natural forces, chemicals, electricity or heat can operate machines. The first machines were mechanical devices controlled by humans or animals.
Modern devices have complex systems consisting of mechanisms, control elements and structural elements. They include interfaces for convenient use.
A car is a machine, like an airplane. Boats are also machines. Therefore, it can be said that we use machines to transport people, animals and goods.
Household and office appliances, agricultural equipment, robots, computers and factory automation systems are also machines. In fact, there are hundreds of thousands of different types of machines.
Etymology machine
Etymology is the study of the origin of words, that is, their origins and history, and the development of their meanings.
The term “machine” meaning “structure of any kind” first appeared in English in the 1540s. It comes from the French word “machine”, which means “device or artifact”. The Middle French word comes from the Latin “machina”, which means “engine, military machine, device, instrument or trick”.
In the 1670s, the word began to have a modern meaning, meaning “a device consisting of moving parts for the use of mechanical energy”.
According to etymonline.com, from the 1670s onward: “ It was gradually applied to a device that worked without the effort or skill of a craftsman.”
