mechanism

Noun

• device consisting of a piece of machinery; has moving parts that perform some function

• (philosophy) the philosophical theory that all phenomena can be explained in terms of physical or biological causes

• a natural object resembling a machine in structure or function
  • the mechanism of the ear
    
  • the mechanism of infection
    

• the technical aspects of doing something
  • a mechanism of social control
    
  • mechanisms of communication
    
  • the mechanics of prose style
    

• the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction
  • he determined unique mechanisms for the photochemical reactions
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  mechanics , chemical mechanism