A device or mechanism that reduces the impact or vibration of a moving object, similar to a shock absorber in a car.
From French amortisseur, derived from amortir (to deaden or lessen). The root comes from Latin ad- (to) and mors (death), originally meaning to reduce the force or energy of something gradually.
The word literally means 'death-bringer' in Latin because it gradually kills or dampens motion—imagine smoothing out the violent energy of a crash into gentle waves instead of a sudden stop.
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