Wiktionary(1.50 / 4 votes)Rate this definition: 1  dilemma(Noun) A circumstance in which a choice must be made between two or more alternatives that seem equally undesirable. 2  dilemma(Noun) (disputed) A difficult circumstance or problem.
The lathe is an ancient tool, dating at least to ancient Egypt and known to be used in Assyria and ancient Greece. The lathe was very important to the Industrial Revolution. It is known as the mother of machine tools, as it was the first machine tool that lead to the invention of other machine tools.
slide 2 of 6. What is a Turret Lathe? As we learnt earlier, a lathe can be used for various purposes including woodcutting, metal-cutting, watch-making and what not. The basic purpose of all these machines is to minimize human labour involved in the process and make it as much automated and refined as possible.