countershaft en · NOUN
Etymology
From counter- + shaft.
Meanings
-
Synonym of jackshaft (“a mechanical component for rotational force”).
Instead of the pistons driving through the connecting-rods directly on to the wheels that carry the weight of the engine, the Drachenfels piston and connecting-rod drove on to a countershaft which carried two small cog wheels. The latter engaged with two larger gears, between which, and on the same shaft, was the pinion to engage with the rack rail.
1952 December, John C. Gillham, “Rack Railways at Königswinter”, in Railway Magazine, page 843:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| counter shaft | alternative | lexicographic | |
| countershafts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |