Clockwork
/ˈklɒkˌwɜːk/noun
The mechanism that drives a clock or similar device; something that operates with precise regularity.
Did you know?The word is a straightforward compound from “clock” + “work,” and its eerie power comes from the cultural shock of turning time itself into engineered motion.
Etymological Timeline
Old North French / Middle English
OF/ME
cloque / clocke
“A bell or bell-like instrument used to mark time”
Middle English
English
clock
“A device for measuring and striking time”
Old English
English
weorc
“Something made or done; labor, deed, construction”
Late Middle English
English
clock werk
“The mechanism of a clock”
Modern English
English
clockwork
“A mechanism driven by a clock spring or, figuratively, something operating with precise regularity”