mainspring

English

Etymology

From main +‎ spring.

Noun

mainspring (plural mainsprings)

1. The principal spring of a clockwork mechanism, which drives it by uncoiling.
   • 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

     He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away.

2. (figuratively) The most important reason for something.

   My daughter is the mainspring of my life.

Translations

the principal spring of a clockwork mechanism

• Armenian: զսպանակ (hy) (zspanak)
• Catalan: ressort motor
• Chinese: 發條 (zh)
• Egyptian Arabic: زمبلك‎ m (zambálek)
• Estonian: vedru
• Finnish: vieteri (fi)
• French: ressort moteur m
• Ido: granda resorto
• Japanese: ぜんまいばね
• Kannada: ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಪ್ರೇರಣೆ (kn) (pradhāna prēraṇe)

• Kurdish:

  Kurmanji: zenbelka serekî (ku)

• Manx: ard-lheimaghan m
• Polish: sprężyna napędowa
• Spanish: resorte motor
• Tamil: [Term?]
• Thai: ลาน (laan)
• Turkish: zemberek (tr) m
• Urdu: بڑی کمانی‎
• Vietnamese: dây cót chính