NYT Dictionary

MECHANIC

/mɪˈkænɪk/
AdjectiveNounme-CHAN-icme-chan-ic · 3 syllablesGrade 6

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2021, 2022, 2024

Meaning

mechanical; relating to mechanics or the laws of motion in physics

Etymology

Origin: Middle English

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-der.? Ancient Greek μηχανή (mēkhanḗ) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós) Ancient Greek μηχανικός (mēkhanikós)bor. Latin mēchanicusder. Old French mecaniquebor. Middle English mekanyk English mechanic From Middle English mekanyk (“mechanical”), from Old French mecanique, from Latin mechanicus (“of or belonging to machines or mechanics, inventive”), from Ancient Greek μηχανικός (mēkhanikós, “pertaining to machines or contrivance, mechanic, ingenious, inventive”), from μηχανή (mēkhanḗ, “a machine, contrivance”); see machine.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

grease monkeymachinistapprenticeartisanartistbuildercobblercraftsmandoctorengineer

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 1 recorded puzzle, including a pangram:

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