engine

American  

[en-juhn] / ˈɛn dʒən /

noun

1. a machine for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy or power to produce force and motion.

2. a railroad locomotive.

3. a fire engine.

4. Computers. a piece or collection of software that drives a later process (used in combination, as in ).

5. any mechanical contrivance.

6. a machine or instrument used in warfare, as a battering ram, catapult, or piece of artillery.

7. a means by which something is achieved, accomplished, or furthered.

   Trade is an engine of growth that creates jobs, reduces poverty, and increases economic opportunity.

8. Obsolete. an instrument of torture, especially the rack.

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engine British  

/ ˈɛndʒɪn /

noun

1. any machine designed to convert energy, esp heat energy, into mechanical work

   a steam engine

   a petrol engine

2. 1. a railway locomotive

   2. ( as modifier )

      the engine cab

3. military any of various pieces of equipment formerly used in warfare, such as a battering ram or gun

4. obsolete any instrument or device

   engines of torture

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engine Scientific  

/ ĕn′jĭn /

1. A machine that turns energy into mechanical force or motion, especially one that gets its energy from a source of heat, such as the burning of a fuel. The efficiency of an engine is the ratio between the kinetic energy produced by the machine and the energy needed to produce it.

2. See more at internal-combustion engine steam engine See also motor

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Other Word Forms

• engineless adjective
• multiengine noun

Etymology

Origin of engine

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English engin, from Anglo-French, Old French engign, enging, from Latin ingenium “nature, innate quality, mental power, clever invention,” equivalent to in- “in” + -genium (equivalent to gen- “begetting” + -ium noun suffix); in- ², kin, -ium

Example Sentences

On top of that, everything the teams were using was new - cars, engines, tyres and fuel - after the biggest regulation change in the sport's history.

From BBC

Countries all over the world have agreed to purchase hundreds of state-of-the-art aircraft and airplane engines from U.S. factories, creating thousands of jobs and strengthening our defense industrial base.

From The Wall Street Journal

“You should have more respect for fear. It’s the engine in all your human history, fear. Fear, married to greed, married to power.”

From Literature

“No time to read it now. Train’s here,” says Colin, pointing to the approaching steam engine in the distance.

From Literature

Abandonment had a sound — engine noise fading into Ventura Boulevard traffic.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• appliance
• diesel
• generator
• instrument
• motor
• power plant
• tool
• transformer
• turbine
• weapon