shaft
part of speech
noun (a shaft, shafts)
meaning for a pupil
1) A shaft is a long, narrow hole that goes straight down or up, such as a mine shaft or a lift shaft. tree →
2) A shaft is the long, thin straight part of a tool, arrow, spear or golf club. tree →
3) A shaft of light is a narrow beam of light shining through a gap. tree →
4) In machines, a shaft is a rod that turns and passes on movement, like the shaft in a car. tree →
5) A shaft can also be one of the two long poles on a cart, between which a horse is harnessed. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In the Prophets and Writings a shaft is also the long wooden stick of a spear or an arrow. David's enemy Goliath had a spear shaft like a weaver's beam, and the psalms speak of the "fiery shafts" of the bow that God breaks. Interpretation: The Menorah, the golden candlestick, is made of one beaten piece; it is read as a symbol of light and wisdom, and is today an emblem of Judaism. The broken shafts in Psalms are read as God ending war and defending His people. In the primary lessons: In stories, people fall down old mine shafts or a shaft of sunlight shines into a dark room. In science and technology lessons, a turning shaft carries power from a motor to wheels. Safety: never go near old mine shafts or open lift shafts.
examples
- And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, were of one piece with it. (Torah EXO.37.17, JPS 1917) tree →
- And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. (Torah EXO.25.31, JPS 1917) tree →
- There He broke the fiery shafts of the bow; the shield, and the sword, and the battle. (Writings PSA.76.4, JPS 1917) tree →
- If one lay at him with the sword, it will not hold; nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft. (Writings JOB.41.18, JPS 1917) tree →
- And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. (Prophets 1SA.17.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- The miners went down the shaft in a metal cage. tree →
- A shaft of sunlight came through the gap in the curtains. tree →
- The arrow had a wooden shaft and a sharp tip. tree →
- The lift shaft runs from the basement to the top floor. tree →
- Keep away from old mine shafts; they can be very deep. tree →
- The motor turns a shaft that spins the wheels. tree →
- The handle of the hammer is called its shaft. tree →
- The golf club's shaft bent when he hit the tree. tree →
- So of course the townspeople, whenever they wanted a horse shod or a shaft mended, went to the mayor. tree →
note
Countable noun: «a shaft, shafts». Shaft can mean a hole (empty) or a rod (solid), so read the sentence to know which. «A shaft of light» is a beam, not a hole. Lift (UK) and elevator (US) shafts are the same thing.
In the corpora
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «shaft» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.