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Definition of Prime mover
| (Mech.) | A natural agency applied by man to the production of power. Especially: Muscular force; the weight and motion of fluids, as water and air; heat obtained by chemical combination, and applied to produce changes in the volume and pressure of steam, air, or other fluids; and electricity, obtained by chemical action, and applied to produce alternation of magnetic force. | | An engine, or machine, the object of which is to receive and modify force and motion as supplied by some natural source, and apply them to drive other machines; as a water wheel, a water-pressure engine, a steam engine, a hot-air engine, etc. | | The original or the most effective force in any undertaking or work; as, Clarkson was the prime mover in English antislavery agitation. |
See also: Prime Prime Prime
Related Words
causal agency, causal agent, cause, first cause, primum mobile
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