- mainspring
- noun Date: 1591 1. the chief spring in a mechanism especially of a watch or clock 2. the chief or most powerful motive, agent, or cause
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
mainspring
Look at other dictionaries:
mainspring — main spring , 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: (Fig.) The chief or most powerful motive; the efficient… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
mainspring — index cause (reason), derivation, reason (basis) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
mainspring — (n.) 1590s, of watches, clocks, etc., from MAIN (Cf. main) (adj.) + SPRING (Cf. spring) (n.3). Figurative use from 1690s … Etymology dictionary
mainspring — ► NOUN 1) the principal spring in a watch, clock, etc. 2) a prime source of motivation or support … English terms dictionary
mainspring — [mān′spriŋ΄] n. 1. the principal spring in a clock, watch, or other mechanism; driving spring, whose steady uncoiling keeps the mechanism running 2. the chief motive or cause … English World dictionary
Mainspring — For the 2007 novel by Jay Lake, see Mainspring (novel). An uncoiled modern watch mainspring … Wikipedia
mainspring — main|spring [ˈmeınsprıŋ] n 1.) the mainspring of sth the most important reason or influence that makes something happen ▪ Christian faith was the mainspring of Peter s life. ▪ Small companies are the mainspring of the British economy. 2.) the… … Dictionary of contemporary English
mainspring — [[t]me͟ɪnsprɪŋ[/t]] mainsprings N COUNT: usu sing, usu the N of n If you say that an idea, emotion, or other factor is the mainspring of something, you mean that it is the most important reason or motive for that thing. [WRITTEN] My life has been … English dictionary
mainspring — noun (C) 1 the mainspring of/for the most important reason or influence that makes something happen: Romantic love had been the mainspring of Augustini s poetry 2 the most important spring in a watch or clock … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
mainspring — UK [ˈmeɪnˌsprɪŋ] / US noun [countable] Word forms mainspring : singular mainspring plural mainsprings formal the most important cause or reason why something happens … English dictionary
mainspring — noun a) The principal spring of a clockwork mechanism, that drives it by uncoiling. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by and by break their mainsprings and pass away. b) The most… … Wiktionary
