cog Hear it!

cog¹ Definition

cog (käg, kôg)

noun

    1. any of a series of teeth on the rim of a wheel, for transmitting or receiving motion by fitting between the teeth of another wheel; gear tooth
    2. a cogwheel
  2. ☆ a person or thing regarded as a minor but necessary part of the structure of an activity or organization

Etymology: ME cog, cogge < ? Scand, as in Norw kug, Swed kugge, a cog, tooth < IE *gugā a hump, ball < base *gēu-, to bend, arch > OE cycgel, cudgel

cog¹ Related Forms
cogged adjective
cog² Definition

cog (käg, kôg)

noun

a projection on a beam that fits into a corresponding groove or notch in another beam, making a joint

Etymology: altered (infl. by cog) < earlier cock, to secure, prob. ult. < It cocca, a notch

transitive verb, intransitive verb cogged, cog′·ging

to join by a cog or cogs

cog³ Definition

cog (käg, kôg)

transitive verb cogged, cog′·ging

to manipulate (dice) in a fraudulent manner

Etymology: prob. slang extension of cog

intransitive verb

Obsolete to cheat; swindle

noun

Obsolete a deception; trick

cog4 Definition

cog

cognate

cog Synonyms

cog

n.

sprocket, geartooth, tooth, cogwheel, gear, pinion, rack, wheel, ratchet, transmission, differential.

cog Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • wheel: There was some of the deceased's hair on the cogs of the wheel.
  • machine: This clean statement may be quite easy to imagine, all the different cogs of a machine interacting in a lovely harmony.

Converse of object

  • become: The aim is to produce a fighting machine in which each soldier becomes a cog.
  • see: It felt as if I could really see the cogs in their minds turning and hear the clicking as the theory all made sense.
  • use: The main icon in the EMS design is the service icon which uses cogs to representing a service.
  • have: I also got a K'nex set with which you can build a lot of models, most of them have cogs in.
  • turn: In order to turn the cog out of the wind.
  • make: Claybrooke Water Mill, still working to date, has cogs made from apple wood.

Adjective modifier

  • vital: Every member of the family is a vital cog in research.
  • tiny: Tiny, tiny cogs in a big, big machine.
  • mere: Otherwise, indigenous peoples will continue to be mere cogs in the wheels of these billion-dollar industries.
  • rear: This bolt governs the distance between the rear gear's top jockey wheel and the rear cogs.
  • small: I'm not leader of the free world - I'm a very small cog.
  • essential: Whether keeping accounting records or running the company payroll, accountants are essential cogs in the wheels of industry.

Modifies a noun

  • wheel: October 4 2003 The lower cylinder drives the adhesion wheels whilst the higher cylinder drives the rack cog wheel.
  • railroad: You start by taking the cog railroad to the summit of La Rhune, 900 meters above sea level.
  • train: Day 3 Optional excursion to Corcovado ascending the mountain by cog train.

Preposition: in

  • wheel: The groups will resemble the cogs in a wheel which are all useful provided they mesh properly.
  • machinery: Each job becoming more and more defined and specialized - we have become cogs in the machinery of society.
  • machine: Most people bear the terminal stress of walking the world unseen, a mere number or cog in a lifeless machine.