mainspring
Noun
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Noun
mainspring (plural mainsprings)
- The principal spring of a clockwork mechanism, which drives it by uncoiling.
- 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
- He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away.
- 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
- (figuratively) The most important reason for something (Cf. spring "origin of something" (literary) (often in the plural) the springs of her ambition.
- My daughter is the mainspring of my life.
- French: ressort moteur
- Spanish: resorte motor
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.005