drivetrain

D2R1I1V4E1T1R1A1I1N1

noun

The mechanical parts of the powertrain, the gears and shafts, that connect the engine to the wheels in a vehicle.

OriginEnglish train ← Middle English trayne ← Old French train →
Less commonScrabble 14
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Meanings

noundrivetrain (plural drivetrains)

plural drivetrains · alternative drive train

  1. engineeringThe mechanical parts of the powertrain, the gears and shafts, that connect the engine to the wheels in a vehicle.

    If you wait until later, your drivetrain is liable to misshift under the hard pedaling load.

    1990, Joe Kita, Bicycling Magazine's New Bike Owner's Guide, page 28

Origin

  1. Middle Englishdriven
  2. Englishdrive
  3. Proto-Indo-European*dʰregʰ-der.?
  4. Latintrahere
  5. Vulgar Latin*tragīnāre
  6. Old Frenchtraïner
  7. Old Frenchtrain
  8. Middle Englishtrayne
  9. Englishtrain
  10. Englishdrivetrain

From drive + train.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

drivetrain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drivetrain

MLA

“drivetrain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drivetrain. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drivetrain,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drivetrain.

Source: drivetrain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.