Gearbox

How to spell gearbox

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce gearbox

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does gearbox mean?

1. nounThe case containing the system of gears that transmits power from an engine to the wheels or driven parts of a machine.

Gearbox in a sentence

• The mechanic warned that the gearbox would need a full rebuild.

• A worn gearbox often makes a grinding noise at higher speeds.

Where does gearbox come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

This is a compound of two old words, gear and box. 'Gear' arrived in Middle English from Old Norse 'gervi', meaning equipment, clothing, or harness; it originally referred to apparatus or tackle generally before settling on the toothed wheels that transmit motion in a machine. 'Box' goes back through Old English to the Latin 'buxus', the name of the boxwood tree, because the first small containers were carved from that hard, close-grained wood. The two words were joined in the industrial age to name the case that houses a vehicle's transmission gears, with the term becoming common as motoring spread in the early twentieth century. Because both halves are short, familiar words, the spelling holds no real trap once you see it as gear plus box.

How the word is built

• gear (toothed wheel for transmitting power)
• box (enclosing case)