wedge, in mechanics, device that tapers to a thin edge, usually made of metal or wood, and used for splitting, lifting, or tightening, as to secure a hammer head onto its handle. Along with the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, and screw, the wedge is considered one of the five simple machines.
The wedge was used in prehistoric times to split logs and rocks; for rocks, wooden wedges, caused to swell by wetting, were employed. In terms of its mechanical function, the screw may be thought of as a wedge wrapped around a cylinder.