machine
UK[məˈʃiːn]US[məˈʃiːn]
n
A piece of equipment with moving parts that uses power to do a particular job
n
A group of people that controls and organizes something, especially a political organization
Etymology
The word 'machine' entered English in the mid-16th century from Middle French machine, which itself derived from Latin machina. The Latin term, meaning 'device, contrivance', was borrowed from Doric Greek mākhanā (Attic Greek mēkhanē), signifying 'a means, an expedient; a machine'. The Greek root is thought to originate from the Proto-Indo-European stem magh-, meaning 'to be able, have power'. This etymological journey from a concept of 'power' and 'expedient' to a mechanical device illustrates the evolution of human ingenuity, where the abstract idea of a clever solution materialized into the concrete apparatuses that define modern industry and technology.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword from French. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into productive morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The factory installed a new machine to pack the boxes faster.
The party's political machine worked tirelessly to get out the vote.
She felt like a cog in a machine, performing the same repetitive task every day.