mechanistic en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˌmɛkəˈnɪstɪk/
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-der.? Ancient Greek μηχᾰνή (mēkhănḗ)der. New Latin mechanismuslbor. English mechan(ism) ▲ Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English -istic English mechanistic From mechan(ism) + -istic.
Meanings
- Having the impersonal and automatic characteristics of a machine.
- Predetermined by, or as if by, a mechanism.
-
Having a physical or biological cause.
Such ateleological explanation is what is meant by mechanistic explanation in the broad sense.
1908, William McDougall, An Introduction to Social Psychology, section 449:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most mechanistic | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more mechanistic | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
multimechanistic · pathomechanistic · antimechanistic · mechanistically · neuromechanistic · nonmechanistic · biomechanistic · unmechanistic
Translations (5)
uk механісти́чний (by, or as if by, a mechanism) · fr mécaniste (by, or as if by, a mechanism) · pl mechanistyczny (by, or as if by, a mechanism) · ru механисти́ческий (by, or as if by, a mechanism) · be механісты́чны (by, or as if by, a mechanism)