In engineering, describing a type of gear whose teeth are cut at right angles to the face, allowing power transfer between perpendicular shafts.
From Latin contra 'against' plus -ate (adjective suffix). This 18th-century engineering term describes how the gear teeth are oriented 'against' or perpendicular to the typical direction.
Contrate gears were revolutionary in clocks and machinery because they let you transfer rotational power between shafts that meet at 90-degree angles—without this innovation, your watch or old clock wouldn't work!
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