1. A system of parts working together in a machine or process
   "The clock's mechanism needed oiling"
    
2. A process or technique for achieving a result
   "he determined unique mechanisms for the photochemical reactions"; "Understanding the chemical mechanism of a reaction is crucial for developing new drugs";
   - chemical mechanism
    
3. A natural object resembling a machine in structure or function
   "the mechanism of the ear"; "the mechanism of infection"
    
4. The technical aspects of doing something
   "a mechanism of social control"; "mechanisms of communication";
   - mechanics
    
5. (philosophy) the philosophical theory that all phenomena can be explained in terms of physical or biological causes
   "The scientist's mechanism rejected any supernatural explanations for natural phenomena"

Derived forms: mechanisms

Type of: carrying into action, chemical action, chemical change, chemical process, device, execution, natural object, performance, philosophical doctrine, philosophical theory

Encyclopedia: Mechanism