mainspring – מילון אנגלי-אנגלי
mainspring
n.
main spring in a mechanism; chief impelling force
Mainspring
A
mainspring is a spiral
torsion spring of metal ribbon - commonly
spring steel - used as a power source in
mechanical watches, some
clocks, and other
clockwork mechanisms.
Winding the timepiece, by turning a knob or key, stores
energy in the mainspring by twisting the spiral tighter. The force of the mainspring then turns the clock's wheels as it unwinds, until the next winding is needed. The adjectives
wind-up and
spring-powered refer to mechanisms powered by mainsprings, which also include kitchen
timers,
music boxes, wind-up
toys and
clockwork radios.
mainspring
Noun
1. the most important spring in a mechanical device (especially a clock or watch); as it uncoils it drives the mechanism
(hypernym) spring
(part-holonym) clockwork
Mainspring
(n.)
The principal or most important spring in a piece of mechanism, especially the moving spring of a watch or clock or the spring in a gunlock which impels the hammer. Hence: The chief or most powerful motive; the efficient cause of action.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), edited by Noah Porter.
About
mainspring
Synonyms and related words:
ambition, aspiration, basis, calling, cause, consideration, font, fount, fountain, fountainhead, goal, ground, guiding light, guiding star, headspring, headstream, headwater, ideal, inspiration, intention, lodestar, matter, mine, motive, principle, quarry, reason, riverhead, sake, score, source, spring, springhead, ulterior motive, vocation, well, wellhead, wellspring
Source: Moby Thesaurus, which is part of the
Moby Project created by Grady Ward. In 1996 Grady Ward placed this thesaurus in the public domain.
