screw — A metal fastener with a helical ridge, used to join things together
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: A metal fastener with a helical ridge, used to join things together
Pronunciation (IPA): /skruː/
Example Sentences
- My glasses keep falling off because the screw is loose - I look like a confused librarian!
- He tried to screw in the light bulb but ended up screwing up the entire lamp.
- The carpenter carefully screwed the pieces of wood together.
screw
NOUN[/skruː/]
A metal fastener with a helical ridge, used to join things together
One loose screw — and the whole thing falls apart.
The CREW used a screw — and the ship held together. (S + CREW → A ship's CREW uses SCREWs to hold the vessel together)
One screw loose — and everything you pursue starts to undo.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Old French 'escroue' in the 14th century, originally meaning 'female pig.' The spiral shape of the mechanical fastener resembled a pig's tail, leading to the semantic shift whereby 'screw' came to denote the helical fastening device.
Breakdown
Old French 'escroue' (screw, spiral form) evolved from the earlier meaning of 'sow' (female pig), with the morphological transfer motivated by visual analogy between the animal's curled tail and the screw's helical structure.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My glasses keep falling off because the screw is loose - I look like a confused librarian!”
“He tried to screw in the light bulb but ended up screwing up the entire lamp.”
“The carpenter carefully screwed the pieces of wood together.”
“Don't screw around during the exam - it's too important!”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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