Main Entry: ¹screw

Pronunciation: \ˈskrü\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English scrue, from Middle French escroe female screw, nut, from Medieval Latin scrofa, from Latin, sow

Date: 15th century

1 a : a simple machine of the inclined plane type consisting of a spirally grooved solid cylinder and a correspondingly grooved hollow cylinder into which it fits b : a nail-shaped or rod-shaped piece with a spiral groove and a slotted or recessed head designed to be inserted into material by rotating (as with a screwdriver) and used for fastening pieces of solid material together
2 a : a screwlike form : spiral b : a turn of a screw; also : a twist like the turn of a screw c : a screwlike device (as a corkscrew)
3 : a worn-out horse
4 chiefly British : a small packet (as of tobacco)
5 : a prison guard
6 : a person who bargains shrewdly; also : skinflint
7 : a propeller especially of a ship
8 a : thumbscrew 1 b : pressure or punitive measures intended to coerce —used chiefly in the phrase put the screws on or put the screws to
9 a usually vulgar : an act of sexual intercourse b usually vulgar : a partner in sexual intercourse

— screw·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— have a screw loose : to be mentally unbalanced