wheel and axle: Meaning and Definition of

wheel' and ax'le

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a simple machine consisting, in its typical form, of a cylindrical drum to which a wheel concentric with the drum is firmly fastened: ropes are so applied that as one unwinds from the wheel, another rope is wound on to the drum.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.