the shaft that transmits power from the gearbox to the differential gear in a motor vehicle or from the engine to the propeller in a ship or aircraft
propeller shaft in American English
noun
1.
a shaft that transmits power from an engine to a propeller
2.
a drive shaft
Word origin
[1830–40]This word is first recorded in the period 1830–40. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: ante, nationalism, paraffin, showcase, walkover