hydraulics
hydraulics Lexical Profile
hydraulics Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The hydraulic machinery, pipes, cylinders, or fluid-driven systems of a vehicle, aircraft, or piece of heavy equipment (usually treated as plural).
"The pilot made a safe emergency landing after the aircraft's primary hydraulics failed."
The branch of science and engineering concerned with the mechanical properties of liquids and the transmission of force or motion through pressurized fluids.
"The civil engineering curriculum includes an advanced course in hydraulics and fluid mechanics."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the branch of science or engineering, 'hydraulics' is treated as singular (e.g., 'hydraulics is studied here'); when referring to the mechanical components or system of a vehicle or machine, it is treated as plural (e.g., 'the hydraulics have failed').
• Rhymes for hydraulics
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'hydraulica' and Ancient Greek 'hydraulikos' (pertaining to a water organ), formed from 'hydor' (water) and 'aulos' (pipe or tube).