Clockwork

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈklɑkwɝk/

Definitions

1. A finely tuned arrangement of mechanical elements that operates with accuracy and regularity
2. A mechanism driven by interconnected gears and springs to measure or indicate time accurately ; an entity or process that operates with consistent and predictable precision
3. A device powered by intricate gearwork and tensioned springs that keeps steady time ; a system or action performed in a regular, dependable manner without variation

Etymology: The word is a compound of "clock" and "work," and its first half has a surprisingly wide reach. "Clock" traces back through Middle Dutch "clocke" and Old Dutch "klokka," to Early Medieval Latin "clocca," which meant "bell." Old Northern French "cloque" carried the same sense, and the word's older roots go back to a Proto-Celtic form, "klokkos," also meaning bell. So the device that ticks on your wall began as a name for the bell that rang the hours. The sense shifted from the bell to the mechanism that struck it, and the second half, "work," simply means the working parts of a machine. Put together, "clockwork" describes the gears and springs inside a timepiece, which is why the word later spread beyond clocks. Writers and speakers began using it for anything that runs with the same regular, self-driving precision, so a well-run office or a smoothly executed plan can be said to run like clockwork.

Synonyms: mechanism, gearwork, cogs, machinery, system