mechanic

[muh-kan-ik] /məˈkæn ɪk/
noun
1.
a person who repairs and maintains machinery, motors, etc.:
an automobile mechanic.
2.
a worker who is skilled in the use of tools, machines, equipment, etc.
3.
Slang. a person skilled in the dishonest handling of cards, dice, or other objects used in games of chance.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English: mechanical < Latin mēchanicus < Greek mēchanikós, equivalent to mēchan(ḗ) machine + -ikos -ic
Examples from the web for mechanic
  • One elevator mechanic said he liked to have a beer or two on the job.
  • When you take your car to be serviced or repaired, you expect the mechanic to replace any worn or damaged parts with new ones.
  • If neither option exists nearby, find a local service station or mechanic that accepts used oil for recycling.
  • He wears his father's old mechanic jumpsuit that is splotched with paint from previous projects.
  • There aren't points, bonuses or combos to achieve so there's nothing really to distract from the primary game mechanic.
  • The mechanic looks over your car and gives you a price.
  • Still another two days later, they finally send out a different mechanic who gets it to start.
  • She is also a volunteer mechanic for a community bike workshop.
  • While you're at it, ask your mechanic what's the highest speed your car's ever reached.
  • Then the amateur mechanic came out in the parking lot with me to listen to my sorry-sounding car.
British Dictionary definitions for mechanic

mechanic

/mɪˈkænɪk/
noun
1.
a person skilled in maintaining or operating machinery, motors, etc
2.
(archaic) a common labourer
Word Origin
C14: from Latin mēchanicus, from Greek mēkhanikos, from mēkhanēmachine
Word Origin and History for mechanic
adj.

late 14c., "pertaining to or involving mechanical labor" (now usually mechanical), also "having to do with tools," from Latin mechanicus, from Greek mekhanikos "full of resources, inventive, ingenious," literally "mechanical, pertaining to machines," from mekhane (see machine (n.)). Meaning "of the nature of or pertaining to machines" is from 1620s.

n.

"manual laborer," late 14c., from Latin mechanicus, from Greek mekhanikos "an engineer," noun use of adjective meaning "full of resources, inventive, ingenious" (see mechanic (adj.)). Sense of "one who is employed in manual labor, a handicraft worker, an artisan" (chief sense through early 19c.) is attested from 1560s. Sense of "skilled workman who is concerned with making or repair of machinery" is from 1660s, but not the main sense until the rise of the automobile.

Slang definitions & phrases for mechanic

mechanic

noun
  1. An expert cardplayer, esp one adept at cheating; cardsharp: No ''mechanics'' (sharps) were tolerated (1909+ Gambling)
  2. A professional killer; hired gun, hit man: Some prison mechanic will take him out on the lunch line (1973+)