Layshafts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A rotating shaft that transfers power or motion between components in machinery, particularly in transmission systems
2. A component used in mechanical systems to support and align gears or other rotating parts
3. A shaft positioned to connect and synchronize multiple driving forces in complex machinery configurations

Etymology: "Layshafts" is the plural of "layshaft," a term for a secondary shaft in a machine, most familiar from car gearboxes, where it carries gears that mesh with those on a main shaft. The word is built from two English parts. "Shaft" is an old word for a long straight rod or bar that turns or transmits motion, and "lay" here is the verb meaning to place or set down. A layshaft, then, is a shaft laid alongside another, set in position to work in parallel with it rather than being the main driving shaft itself.

Synonyms: intermediate shafts, idler shafts