washer

UK/ˈwɒʃə(ɹ)/US/ˈwɑʃɚ/

nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #5,935 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: washers

A washer is a flat ring that spreads the load under a nut. A rubber washer, replace the washer, a spring washer.

It does two jobs: spreads the pressure so the nut does not bite into the material, and seals a joint when it is rubber or fibre. A dripping tap is usually a perished washer. The word also means a washing machine or a person who washes.

Definitions of washer

1nounwasherA flat ring that spreads the load under a nut.B2
“Put a washer under the nut before you tighten it.”

washer is a fitting.

Where it comes from

Wash plus -er, though the connection between the ring and washing is unclear.

Proto-Indo-European
*wed-
Middle English
wasshere
English, today
washer

From Middle English wasshere, wassher, equivalent to wash + er. Cognate with Dutch wasser, German Wäscher.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

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washer in the wild

The real inventor of Belleville washers is unknown.
Belleville washer
Other uses are as a spacer, spring (Belleville washer, wave washer), wear pad, preload indicating device, locking device, and to reduce vibration (rubber washer).
Washer (hardware)
A thrust washer is used when a rolling element bearing is not needed either from a cost-performance perspective or due to space restraints.
Washer (hardware)
A tunnel washer, also called a continuous batch washer, is an industrial washing machine designed specifically to handle heavy loads of laundry.
Tunnel washer
A combi washer dryer (also known as a washer-dryer in the UK) is a combination in a single cabinet of a washing machine and a clothes dryer.
Washer-dryer

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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