How to name engineering widgets?

December 1, 2006 9:46 AM

How to name engineering widgets?

As a budding engineer, I'm beginning to pick up a vocabulary of widget names for things that lift, carry, spin, reciprocate, etc. Is there a place that I can go or a book (preferable) that has basically an engineering / machine design thesaurus?

I'm looking for something that essentially has a list of synonyms that I can use to transform "it spins and picks up shit" into a more professional sounding name like "rotating material elevation apparatus".

Ideally, it would have a heading of simple function terms, and a list of synonyms that get more creative.

nb - most of the Google results for "engineering thesaurus" are for an article indexing thesaurus, which does not do what I'm looking for.

posted by toomanyplugs to writing & language (7 comments total)

It's not free, but you might find the Taxonomy Warehouse has what you need to fill your bills.
posted by paulsc at 10:22 AM on December 1, 2006

Just use Roget's. Your example can be broken down into two terms; spin and lift. Looking those up in the theasaurus will give a number of synonyms which can be effectively combined.

Rotational Lifter
Turning Elevator

Many engineering names are entirely descriptive and very basic.
posted by JJ86 at 11:22 AM on December 1, 2006

I've worked for several aerospace firms. They have a uniform "hierarchical noun name" requirement for devices, which might derive from a MIL-STD (but my Google-fu isn't turning that up). Such a name is meant to consist of nouns and sometimes modifiers, and as you string them together they get more and more specific, thus: Elevator, rotary, locomotive for a device that lifts a locomotive and turns it.
posted by jet_silver at 11:59 AM on December 1, 2006

From an old list someone sent me:

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Member
Element
Instrumentality
Agent
Actuator
Driver
Device
Means
Scheme
Operator
Arrangement
Orientation
Disposal
Grouping
Assemblage
Construction
Form
Embodiment
Structure
Specific Structure
Assembly
Mechanism
Apparatus
Portion
Section
Part
Piece
Setup
Bichrome-2 color
Segment

CONTAINERS

Casing
Cylinder
Drum
Bowl
Basket
Receptacle
Bin
Box
Collar
Hamper
Well
Cell
Cell-case
Case
Shell
Waist
Hoop
Cover
Envelope
Housing
Enclosure
Chamber
Sleeve
Holder
Repository
Shelter
Sheath
Body
Pocket
Compartment

PARALLELISM
Striped
Striated
Banded
Grooved
Channeled
Corrugated
Serrated

OPENING

Recess
Cavity
Aperture
Port
Duct
Trough
Bore
Inlet
Outlet
Uptake
Intake
Hole
Conduit
Perforation
Channel
Groove
Socket
Seat
Passage
Pipe
Tube
Indentation
Pocket
Sink
Cell
Slot
T-slot
Undercut slot
Hollow
Hollowed-out portion
Sieve
Foramen
Orifice
Flute
Chamber
Well
Tunnel
Way

MULTIPLE OPENINGS

Reticulated
Webbed
Matrix
Net
Intagliated
Sieve Structure
Foraminated
Perforated
Sieve-like
Foraminous

CARRIAGE

Carrier
Slide
Dolly
Support
Position
Sustain
Maintain
Bear
Carry
Present
Pinion
Latch
Engage
Pawl
Follower

SUPPORTS

Struckout
Standard
Struck up member
Bracket
Pintle
Nub
Hump
Upright (part)
Finger
Stud
Distal Section
Post
Pillar
Mast
Pedestal
Stubshaft
Projection
Lug
Pin
Leg
Lip
Boss
Pivot
Shoe
Extension
Base
Foot
Ledge
Shelf
Quill (usually hollow)
Spindle (rotative)
Offset
Offshoot
Bar
Rod
Brace
Sill
Joist
Arm
Knob
Ear
Tab
Tongue
Bead
Teat
Nipple
Embossment
Upset Portion
Head
Land
Protuberance
Cantilever
Flange

SPRINGS

Conical
Coiled spiral
Coiled
Leaf
Clip
Yielding means
Resilient Member
Elastic Member
Helical Spiral

TUBE

Hose
Conduit
Lumen
Cable
Stem
Duct

FORCE TRANSMISSION

Shaft
Rock-shaft
Toggle
Link
Lever
Arm
Crank
Handle
Cable
Actuator
Tensile Member
Bell Crank
Engage
Drive
Exert force on
Pushes against
Propel
Stretch
Strain
Stress
Mesh
Taper gib
Pellet
Pin
Dog
Finger
Pawl
Rod
Arm
Follower

PREVENTION OF MOVEMENT

Pin
Stop
Stay
Brace
Dog
Pawl
Detent
Finger
Jaw
sendmsg
Latch
Snapring
Abutment
Retard
Catch
Retainer


ROTATION

Rotatably
Spindle
Core
Axle
Shaft
Rod
Arbor
Mandrel
Axis
Pin
Pintle
Bar
Journal
Bearing
Stator

ANNULAR

Collet
Flange
Thimble
Ring
Ferrule
Bushing
Collar
Nipple
Sleeve
Tube
Pipe
Hose
Conduit


U-SHAPED

Staple
Shackle
Loop
Forcated member
Clevis
Stirrup
Bridge
Straddle
Jaw
Forked member
Yoke
Bail
Bifurcated means

GRADUATION

Stepped
Graduated
Inclined
Tapered
Beveled
Dovetailed
Chamfered
Undercut
Rabbited
Mitered
Pointed

TAPERED

Beveled
Dovetailed
Chamfered
Inclined
Undercut
Rabbited
Mitered
Pointed
Sloped
Conical

GROUPS

Row
Rank
Series
Tier
Plurality
File
Parade
Train
Array
Group
Assembly

SEPARATER

Partition
Wall
Division-member
Plate
Sheet
Diaphragm
Panel
Bulkhead
Bagged
Looped
Boxed
Box-like
Membrane

SEPARATE

Detached
Collapsed
Dislodge
Disconnected
Removed
Knock-down
Dismember
Disassemble
Incise
Unhook
Disjoint
Severed
Remote

ASSOCIATION

Interconnect
Coupled
Juxtaposed
Attached
Proximity
Joined
Engaging
Subtend
Interposed
Associated with
Mounted on
Circumjacent
In operative relation to
Connected to
In mesh with
Enmeshed with
Engages
Contacts
Depend
Encompass
Articulated
Integral with
Tied
Interdigitated
Secured
Fixed
Fastened
Clutched
Hung
Suspended
Mounted for movement in unison
Rotatively coupled
Maintain positional relationship
In obedience to
Snubbed
In spaced relationship
Complemental


AGREEMENT

Coincide
Register
Match
Align
In confronting relation
Conform
Positional agreement
In accordance with
Indexed
Coaxial
Congruent
Corresponding
Compromise

SHAPES

Acerose (needle-shaped)
Barbate (beard-shaped)
Campanulate (bell-shaped)
Circinate (ring-shaped)
Cordate (heart-shaped)
Cruciate (cross-shaped)
Cuneate (wedge-shaped)
Ensate (Sword-shaped)
Furcular (fork-shaped)
Fusiform (spindle-shaped)
Helical (spiral-shaped)
Lorate (strap-shaped)
Arcuate
epicyloid (Curve formed by point on small circle as it rotates about the circumference of a larger circle)
Ensiform (Sword shaped)
Lozenge (Diamond shape)

STRUCTURE

Arm
Bail
Band
Base
Beam
Cantilever
Simple
Belt
Blade
Blower
Body
Boom
Branch
Carriage
Case
Chute
Column
Container
Conveyor
Cover
Device
Die
Drum
Enclosure
Finger
Frame
Gauges
Handle
Head
Housing
Jacket
Jaw
Leg
Member
Neck
Object
Particle
Partition
Platform
Plug
Rib
Ring
Rod
Shell
Shoe
Shoulder
Sleeve
Step
Strut
Track
Truss
Upright
Wall


FASTENER

Bolt
Cable
Clamp
Connection
Coupling
Dowel
Hold Down
Hook
Joint
Key
Latch
Lock
Lug
Nail
Nut
Pin
Rivet
Screw
Seam

BEARING

Antifriction
-Ball
-Needle
-Roller
-Tapered
Bushing
Fulcrum
Guide
Journal
Pivot
Radial
Seal
Seat
Sliding
Support
Thrust

SPRING

Air
Bias element
Coil
Helical
-Compression
-Tension
Leaf
Torsional


PLACEMENT

Adjacent
Aligned
Attached
Axial
Complementary
Concentric
Eccentric
Contiguous
Distal-proximate
Divided
Engaged
Extended
Integral
Intermediate
Interposed
Juxtaposed
Located
Mating
Meshing
Offset
Opposed
Overlapping
Perpendicular
Parallel
Positioned
Projecting
Removable
Resting
Retractable
Spacer
Staggered
Superposed
Supported
Surrounding
Symmetrical

VOIDS

Aperture
Bore
Cavity
Chamber
Duct
Groove
Hole
Hollow
Notch
Opening
Orifice
Passage
Slit
Slot

SHAPE

A-. . . Z-(etc.)
("a C-shaped member")
Annular
Arch
Arcuate
Barrel
Bucket
Channel
Circular
Concave-convex
Conical
Corrugated
Cup
Cylinder
Depression
Disc
Dome
Elliptical
Fin
Flange
Fold
Fork
Helical
Hook
Notch
Oblong
Oval
Parabolic
Plane
Rectangular
Round
Sheet
Shelf
Sinusoidal
Spherical
Square
Taper
Triangular
Trough
Tubular
Twist
Web
Wedge


FLUID FLOW

Accumulator
Aspirator
Bellows
Conduit
Connector
Convection
Cylinder
Piston
Rod
Dashpot
Diaphragm
Discharge
Dispenser
Filter
Fitting
Flue
Gasket
Hose
Hydraulic
Medium
Nozzle
Outlet
Pipe
Plunger
Port
Inlet
Outlet
Pump
Centrifugal
Gear
Piston
Vane
Reservoir
Seal
Siphon
Tank
Tube
Valve
Ball-check
Control
Gate
Shut-off


ROTATION TO TRANSLATION

Bell crank
Cam
Connecting rod
Crank arm
Jack
Radius bar
Screw
Winch
Yoke

TRANSLATION TO TRANSLATION

Inclined plane
Lever
Linkage
Parallel
Straight line
Motion
Toggle
Wedge
posted by caddis at 12:00 PM on December 1, 2006 [3 favorites]

It looks like the search "engineering thesaurus" works better in amazon.
posted by Deathalicious at 1:14 PM on December 1, 2006

Funny, I always just added "-atron" or "-inator" as a suffix to name tools both software and hard. Such as the scratchinator. Or the liftatron. Clients loved it.
posted by tim_in_oz at 2:12 PM on December 1, 2006

JJ86: ya, but there are LOTS of simple and descriptive ways to say the same thing, I'm just looking to expand my vocabulary.

Deathalicious: ya, tried that, too, but all those results are for the standards for archiving technical articles, or somesuch. Not quite what I was looking for.

but I think caddis' list will do me for a while, thanks!
posted by toomanyplugs at 5:46 PM on December 1, 2006