watchmaker

C2 Topic:Work & Careers
US /ˈwɑːtʃˌmeɪkɚ/ UK /ˈwɒtʃˌmeɪkə/
noun Freq #39053

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a craftsperson or company that makes, maintains, or repairs watches

    The watchmaker cleaned the movement and replaced its broken mainspring.

  2. 2
    noun

    a creator, especially God, imagined as designing the universe as precisely as a watchmaker designs a watch

    The philosopher compared the creator to a watchmaker whose design could be inferred from the universe.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a craftsperson or company... horologistwatch repairerclockmaker
2 noun · a creator, especially god,... creatordivine artificer
Word family
Forms watchmakers
Related forms watchmakinghorologywatchclockmaker

Etymology

A compound of watch + maker. The craft sense names the person who makes or repairs a watch; maker is the agent noun of make. The theological sense comes from the watchmaker analogy, which compares the ordered universe to a watch and attributes its design to an intelligent creator.

Topics

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