a machine used to raise heavy things a short distance, operated by turning a screwlike shaft
Word origin
jack- + screw
jackscrew in American English
(ˈdʒækˌskruː)
noun
a jack for lifting consisting of a screw steadied by a threaded support and carrying a plate or other part bearing the load
Also called: screw jack
Word origin
[1760–70; jack1 + screw]This word is first recorded in the period 1760–70. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: broadcast, genre, icing, provincialism, right of way