machinist
machinist Lexical Profile
machinist Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A skilled craftsperson who operates machine tools, such as lathes and milling machines, to manufacture, modify, or repair precision parts (especially out of metal or plastic).
"The master machinist calibrated the lathe to cut the steel shaft within a fraction of a millimeter."
British A worker who operates a sewing machine in a garment or textile factory.
"She worked for twenty years as a skilled machinist in a Manchester clothing factory."
A petty officer or naval technician responsible for operating and maintaining a ship's engines and auxiliary machinery.
"The chief machinist inspected the propulsion turbines in the engine room before the vessel departed port."
• Rhymes for machinist
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from French machiniste, derived from machine ('mechanical device') plus the agent suffix -iste.