Definition of "mechanism" []

• A machine or mechanical appliance. (noun)
• The arrangement of connected parts in a machine. (noun)
• A system of parts that operate or interact like those of a machine: the mechanism of the solar system. (noun)
• An instrument or a process, physical or mental, by which something is done or comes into being: "The mechanism of oral learning is largely that of continuous repetition” ( T.G.E. Powell). (noun)
• A habitual manner of acting to achieve an end. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "This mechanism is a common one to RTD, so it's not surprising that it was used in CoE."
• "Just ONE gesture … the mechanism is already in place."
• "Eric: What other mechanism is there to defer taxes?"