Etymograph

English

mechanical

Mechanical comes from Latin mēchanicus ‘mechanic’, and goes back to Ancient Greek μηχανή ‘contrivance, machine, device, gear’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμηχανή1mēkhanḗ‘contrivance, machine, device, gear’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμηχανικός1mēkhanikós‘of or pertaining to machines, mechanical’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmēchanicus1‘mechanic’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400mecanique1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mechanic1
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mechanical1
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1599mechanical1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English mechanical
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596–1599, William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.: “Thy Doll, and Helen of thy noble thoughts, Is…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμηχανήWiktionary, English mechanicalmēkhanḗ‘contrivance, machine, device, gear’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμηχανικόςWiktionary, English mechanicalmēkhanikós‘of or pertaining to machines, mechanical’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmēchanicusWiktionary, English mechanical‘mechanic’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400mecaniqueWiktionary, English mechanical
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mechanicWiktionary, English mechanical
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mechanicalWiktionary, English mechanical
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1599mechanicalWiktionary, English mechanical. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596–1599, William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.: “Thy Doll, and Helen of thy noble thoughts, Is…”

Formed from mechanic + -al

Ancient Greek μηχανή ‘a machine, contrivance’

Ancient Greek μηχανικός ‘pertaining to machines or contrivance,…’

Latin mēchanicus ‘of or belonging to machines or mechanics,…’

Old French mecanique

Middle English mekanyk ‘mechanical’

English mechanic

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- ‘to be able’

may, might, main, yay, dismay, magician, mower, mage, magus, yayo, 80 more

through Ancient Greek μηχανή ‘contrivance, machine, device, gear’

machinist, 58 more

through Latin mēchanicus ‘mechanic’

biomechanics, 58 more

Today it means

adj Characteristic of someone who does manual labour for a living; coarse, vulgar.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mechanical”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek μηχανή / mechanical

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