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shaft definition

shaft (s̸haft, s̸häft)

noun

    1. the long stem or body of an arrow or spear
    2. an arrow or spear
  2. a missile or something that seems to be hurled like a missile; bolt shafts of lightning, derision, etc.
  3. a cone or column of light; ray; beam
  4. a long, slender part or object; specif.,
    1. Rare the trunk of a tree or stem of a plant
    2. the stem or rib of a feather
    3. the midsection of a long bone
    4. the supporting stem of a branched candlestick
    5. a column or obelisk; also, the main, usually cylindrical, part between the ends of a column or pillar; verge
    6. a flagpole
    7. a tall, slender building or part of a building; spire
    8. a handle, as on some tools or implements
    9. either of the two poles between which an animal is harnessed to a vehicle; thill
    10. a bar, usually cylindrical, for supporting or transmitting motion to a wheel, pulley, gear, cam, etc. the drive shaft of an engine
  5. a long, narrow, vertical or slanting passage sunk into the earth a mine shaft
  6. a vertical opening passing through the floors of a building, as for an elevator
  7. a conduit for air, as used in heating and ventilating

Etymology: ME schaft < OE sceaft, akin to Ger schaft < IE base *(s)kap-, to cut with a sharp tool > shave, Gr skapos, rod, L scapus, shaft, stalk

transitive verb

Slang to cheat, trick, exploit, etc.
shaft Idioms

get the shaft

Slang to be cheated, tricked, etc.

give someone the shaft

Slang to cheat or trick someone

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical shaft definition - medical

shaft Synonyms

shaft

n.

  1. Rod

    stem, handle, bar, cylinder, pole; see also rod 1.

  2. A weapon

    arrow, spear, lance, missile; see weapon 1.

  3. Light ray

    wave, streak, beam of light; see beam 2, ray.

give someone the shaft*

cheat, trick, mistreat; see abuse 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

shaft Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • sunlight: A shaft of brilliant sunlight fell through the dusty layers of a horse chestnut tree, landing on the velvet vows of her shoes.

Converse of object

  • descend: The State of the Pit At midnight there were many men present ready on the least call for volunteers to descend the shaft.

Adjective modifier

  • downcast: He also criticized the positioning of lamp stations, between which and the downcast shaft naked lights and unlocked lamps were allowed.

Modifies a noun

  • encoder: The selected design was a cam drive mechanism with a shaft encoder to operate a reflector.

Noun used with modifier

  • graphite: Fitted with a high quality Ram graphite shaft for extra distance.
shaft usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"shaft." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/shaft>

APA Style

shaft. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/shaft

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