Noun

(en noun)

Within a machine or machinery; any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.

Any combination of cams, gears, links, belts, chains and logical mechanical elements.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2012-03

, author=(Henry Petroski) , title=Opening Doors , volume=100, issue=2, page=112-3 , magazine= citation , passage=A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism —known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place.}}

A group of objects or parts that interact together. (as in Political machine )

A mental, physical or chemical process.

(philosophy) A theory that all natural phenomena can be explained by physical causes.

Noun

(uncountable) The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements.

* 1924 , HE Wortham, A Musical Odyssey , p. 97:

Brahms, after realizing that the technique of the piano was developing along mistaken lines, and his own danger of stereotyping his style, keeps away from it for most of his middle age [...].

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Catherine Clabby

, magazine=(American Scientist), title= Focus on Everything , passage=Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. That’s because the lenses that are excellent at magnifying tiny subjects produce a narrow depth of field. A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that.}}

(uncountable) Practical ability in some given field or practice, often as opposed to creativity or imaginative skill.

* 2011 , "Bhimsen Joshi", The Economist , 3 Feb 2011:

Yet those who packed concert halls to listen to him sing, as Indians did for over six decades, rarely mentioned his technique .

(label) a method of achieving something or carrying something out, especially one requiring some skill or knowledge.

* 2011 , Paul Lewis & Matthew Taylor, The Guardian , 16 Mar 2011:

They said executives were warned about one technique nicknamed "carpet karaoke", which involved bending deportees over in aircraft seats to silence them.