mainspring
(noun) the most important spring in a mechanical device (especially a clock or watch); as it uncoils it drives the mechanism
Source: WordNet® 3.1
mainspring (plural mainsprings)
The principal spring of a clockwork mechanism, which drives it by uncoiling.
(figuratively) The most important reason for something (Cf. spring "origin of something" (literary) (often in the plural) the springs of her ambition).
Source: Wiktionary
Main"spring`, n.
Definition: The principal or most important spring in a piece of mechanism, especially the moving spring of a watch or clock or the spring in a gunlock which impels the hammer. Hence: The chief or most powerful motive; the efficient cause of action.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
12 January 2025
(noun) (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition; “owls have nocturnal habits”; “she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair”; “long use had hardened him to it”
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.
