1610s, "worker who mixes," agent noun from mix (v.). As a type of machine that mixes, from 1876. Sense of "person" as regards sociability (with a qualifying adjective) is by 1896; the meaning "troublemaker" is attested by 1938; the sense of "social gathering to mingle and get acquainted" dates from 1916.
"machine for recording and reproducing sounds by needle-tracing on some solid material," 1887, trademark by German-born U.S. inventor Emil Berliner (1851-1929), an inversion of phonogram (1884) "the tracing made by a phonograph needle," which was coined from Greek phōnē "voice, sound," from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say" + gramma "something written" (see -gram).
Berliner's machine used a flat disc and succeeded with the public. Edison's phonograph used a cylinder and did not. Despised by linguistic purists (Weekley calls gramophone "An atrocity formed by reversing phonogram") who tried at least to amend it to grammophone, it was replaced by record player after mid-1950s. There also was a graphophone (1886).
"art of throwing large missiles; science of the motion of projectiles," 1753, with -ics + Latin ballista "ancient military machine for hurling stones," from Greek ballistes, from ballein "to throw, to throw so as to hit," also in a looser sense, "to put, place, lay" (from PIE root *gwele- "to throw, reach").
late 14c., "mathematician, one who calculates," from Latin calculator, from calculatus, past participle of calculare "to reckon, compute," from calculus "reckoning, account" (see calculus). Of mechanical adding machine contraptions, from 1784. Of electronic ones, from 1946.
Electronic calculator uses 18,000 tubes to solve complex problems [Scientific American headline, June 1946]
"machine that cuts, threshes, and cleans grain," 1900, short for combine harvester, combine mower (1857), from combine (v.). The noun was used earlier in the sense "conspiracy" (c. 1600); it became obsolete but was revived (1886) in the sense "combination or agreement between persons to further common interests."
1889, "type of copying machine that reproduces from a stencil," invented by Edison, from Greek mimeisthai "to mimic, represent, imitate, portray" (from mimos "mime, imitator;" see mime (n.)) + -graph. A proprietary name from 1903 to 1948. The verb meaning "to reproduce by means of a mimeograph" is attested by 1895. Related: Mimeographed; mimeographing.
late 15c. (early 14c. as a surname, Dryere; Alic le Dreyster is attested from 1292) "one who dries and bleaches cloth," agent noun from dry (v.). As "that which dries or is used in drying," 1520s. Dryer was used of machines from 1848 (drying-machine is by 1819).
1836, "an aid to breathing," originally a sort of metallic gauze mask fitted to the face by a wire frame and meant to keep out smoke, dust, and especially cold air; agent noun from respire. The word was later used of gas masks in World War I. As "machine to provide artificial respiration" from 1929.
