gearwheel

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A form of gear wheel — A wheel with a toothed rim, intended to engage with others, or similar equipment, to form a gear.

OriginEnglish wheel ← Middle English whel ← Old English hwēol →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

noungearwheel (plural gearwheels)

plural gearwheels

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of gear wheel.

    Gearwheels and pinions can be removed by the oil injection method, a provision which speeds and simplifies the work of replacement.

    1962 June, “The 2,800 h.p. Brush "Falcon" diesel-electric”, in Modern Railways, page 380

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
cogwheelgear

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Germanic*ga-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*h₂er-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₃er-
  6. Proto-Germanic*arwaz
  7. Proto-Germanic*garwaz
  8. Proto-Germanic*garwijaną
  9. Old Norsegervi
  10. Middle Englishgere
  11. Englishgear
  12. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelh₁-redup.
  13. Proto-Indo-European*kʷekʷléh₂
  14. Proto-Germanic*hweulō
  15. Old Englishhwēol
  16. Middle Englishwhel
  17. Englishwheel
  18. Englishgearwheel

From gear + wheel.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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