Gear ⚙
Copy & Meaning

A gear — representing mechanical systems, settings/configuration, and the interconnected machinery that makes complex processes work. Gears transfer and transform motion — meshing together to multiply force or change direction. In digital interfaces, the gear icon universally represents settings, configuration, and system options.

'Cog in the machine' describes feeling like an insignificant but necessary part of a large system. Engineering culture celebrates gear design. Used for settings and configuration in digital contexts, mechanical and engineering content, discussions of how systems and organizations function, the industrial aesthetic, maker and engineering culture, and any metaphor involving the precise, interlocking functioning of complex systems.