machinery

Plural: machineries

Noun

• machines or machine systems collectively
• a system of means and activities whereby a social institution functions
  • "the complex machinery of negotiation"
  • "the machinery of command labored and brought forth an order"
• The machines constituting a production apparatus, in a plant etc., collectively.
• The working parts of a machine as a group.
• The collective parts of something which allow it to function.
• The literary devices used in a work, notably for dramatic effect.

Examples

• "All of the machinery of the law was brought to bear on the investigation."

Related Words

machinist