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 together2 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 horse4chiefly British : a small packet (as of tobacco)5: a prison guard6: a person who bargains shrewdly ; also : skinflint7: a propeller especially of a ship8 a: thumbscrew 1 b: pressure or punitive measures intended to coerce —used chiefly in the phrase put the screws on or put the screws to9 ausually vulgar : an act of sexual intercourse busually vulgar : a partner in sexual intercourse

— screw·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— have a screw loose

: to be mentally unbalanced