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machinery definition

ma·chin·ery (mə s̸hēn′ər ē, -s̸hēn′rē)

noun pl. machineries -·er·ies

  1. machines collectively
  2. the working parts of a machine
  3. any combination of things or persons by which something is kept in action or a desired result is obtained the machinery of government
  4. apparatus used to produce stage effects
  5. literary devices involving the introduction of supernatural beings or forces, as in epic poetry

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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