Origin: Latin suffix -al
Mechanical has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
Manually created layout of artwork that is camera ready for photographic reproduction.
"The graphic designer spent hours preparing the mechanical to ensure every line and color separated correctly for the print run."
In plain English: A mechanical person is someone who follows rules and instructions exactly without thinking for themselves.
"The mechanical is broken, so we need to call for repairs."
Usage: Do not use "mechanical" as a noun in modern conversation; today it refers exclusively to the obsolete printing industry term for camera-ready artwork layouts. Instead, use the adjective form to describe something operated by machines or lacking human emotion.
using (or as if using) mechanisms or tools or devices
"a mechanical process"
"his smile was very mechanical"
"a mechanical toy"
relating to or concerned with machinery or tools
"mechanical arts"
"mechanical design"
"mechanical skills"
"a technical fault"
relating to or governed by or in accordance with mechanics
"a belief that the universe is a mechanical contrivance"
"the mechanical pressure of a strong wind"
Characteristic of someone who does manual labour for a living; coarse, vulgar.
"The factory foreman's mechanical manner made it clear he was more interested in his own rough work than the polite guests at the party."
In plain English: Mechanical means something that works by moving parts, like gears and engines, instead of using electricity or magic.
"The car made a strange mechanical noise before stopping."
Usage: Use mechanical to describe something that operates by physical means or follows a fixed pattern without creativity, rather than referring to a person's social status or mannerisms. Reserve the older sense of "coarse" or "manual laborer" only when discussing historical texts or specific literary contexts.
The word entered Middle English from Old French as mecanicale, derived from the Latin term for a worker with skill or craft. It originally described things related to mechanics before evolving into its modern sense of being powered by machinery.