engineering
[en-juh-neer-ing]
- the art or science of making practical application of the knowledge of pure sciences, as physics or chemistry, as in the construction of engines, bridges, buildings, mines, ships, and chemical plants.
- the action, work, or profession of an engineer.
- Digital Technology. the art or process of designing and programming computer systems: computer engineering; software engineering.
- skillful or artful contrivance; maneuvering.
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Origin of engineering
engineer
[en-juh-neer]
- a person trained and skilled in the design, construction, and use of engines or machines, or in any of various branches of engineering: a mechanical engineer; a civil engineer.
- a person who operates or is in charge of an engine.
- Also called locomotive engineer. Railroads. a person who operates or is in charge of a locomotive.
- a member of an army, navy, or air force specially trained in engineering work.
- Digital Technology. a person skilled in the design and programming of computer systems: a software engineer; a web engineer.
- a skillful manager: a political engineer.
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- to plan, construct, or manage as an engineer: He's engineered several big industrial projects.
- to design or create using the techniques or methods of engineering: The motor has been engineered to run noiselessly.
- to arrange, manage, or carry through by skillful or artful contrivance: He certainly engineered the election campaign beautifully.
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Origin of engineer
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for engineering
Contemporary Examples
The Great Lakes states, for example, boast the largest concentration of engineering jobs (more than 318,000) of any major region.
Pragnell spent three months in Japan engineering prefabricated warehouses.
He is also soliciting funds for university fellowships in agronomy and engineering.
Soon she caught the eye of the assistant manager, an engineering student at the University of Minnesota.
Yet by equating their engineering with Teutonic rigor the Germans have created the impression of an exclusive proprietary quality.
Historical Examples
In engineering, in mining, in invention, there are endless possibilities.
The Call of the Twentieth CenturyDavid Starr Jordan
Equally rich are the opportunities in other forms of engineering.
The Call of the Twentieth CenturyDavid Starr Jordan
It was clumsy enough, but in my eyes a marvel of engineering art.
Ranald Bannerman's BoyhoodGeorge MacDonald
The above are instances where science has come to the aid of engineering.
I made up my mind to go to Cornell for the course on engineering.
The HarborErnest Poole
engineering
- the profession of applying scientific principles to the design, construction, and maintenance of engines, cars, machines, etc (mechanical engineering), buildings, bridges, roads, etc (civil engineering), electrical machines and communication systems (electrical engineering), chemical plant and machinery (chemical engineering), or aircraft (aeronautical engineering)See also military engineering
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engineer
- a person trained in any branch of the profession of engineering
- the originator or manager of a situation, system, etc
- a mechanic; person who repairs or services machines
- US and Canadian the driver of a railway locomotive
- an officer responsible for a ship's engines
- Informal name: sapper a member of the armed forces, esp the army, trained in engineering and construction work
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- to originate, cause, or plan in a clever or devious mannerhe engineered the minister's downfall
- to design, plan, or construct as a professional engineer
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Word Origin
C14: enginer, from Old French engigneor, from engignier to contrive, ultimately from Latin ingenium skill, talent; see engine
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for engineering
n.
1680s, from engineer (n.). Meaning "work done by an engineer" is from 1720. As a field of study, attested from 1792. An earlier word was engineership (1640s); engineery was attempted in 1793, but it did not stick.
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engineer
n.
early 14c., "constructor of military engines," from Old French engigneor, from Late Latin ingeniare (see engine); general sense of "inventor, designer" is recorded from early 15c.; civil sense, in reference to public works, is recorded from c.1600. Meaning "locomotive driver" is first attested 1832, American English. A "maker of engines" in ancient Greece was a mekhanopoios.
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engineer
v.
1843 (but cf. engineering), from engineer (n.). Figurative sense of "arrange, contrive" is attested from 1864, originally in a political context. Related: Engineered.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
engineering
[ĕn′jə-nîr′ĭng]
- The application of science to practical uses such as the design of structures, machines, and systems. Engineering has many specialities such as civil engineering, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.