engineering

[en-juh-neer-ing]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR engineering ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

Origin of engineering

First recorded in 1710–20; engineer + -ing¹

Related formsnon·en·gi·neer·ing, noun, adjectivepre·en·gi·neer·ing, adjective

engineer

[en-juh-neer]

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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.

Origin of engineer

1350–1400; engine + -eer; replacing Middle English engin(e)our < Anglo-French engineor Old French engigneor < Medieval Latin ingeniātor, equivalent to ingeniā(re) to design, devise (verbal derivative of ingenium; see engine) + Latin -tor -tor

Related formssub·en·gi·neer, nounun·en·gi·neered, adjectivewell-en·gi·neered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for engineering

construction, manufacturing, planning, design, architecture, metallurgy, building, handling, systematization, organization, implementing, organizing, structure, blueprinting, structures, surveying

Examples from the Web for engineering

Contemporary Examples of engineering

The Great Lakes states, for example, boast the largest concentration of engineering jobs (more than 318,000) of any major region.
The Rustbelt Roars Back From the Dead
Joel Kotkin, Richey Piiparinen
December 7, 2014
Pragnell spent three months in Japan engineering prefabricated warehouses.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama
Jeff Campagna
November 30, 2014
He is also soliciting funds for university fellowships in agronomy and engineering.
Mexico’s Holy Warrior Against the Cartels
Jason McGahan
November 18, 2014
Soon she caught the eye of the assistant manager, an engineering student at the University of Minnesota.
Gay Talese on Charlie Manson’s Home on the Range
Gay Talese
October 31, 2014
Yet by equating their engineering with Teutonic rigor the Germans have created the impression of an exclusive proprietary quality.
Nationalism on Four Wheels
Clive Irving
October 18, 2014

Historical Examples of engineering

In engineering, in mining, in invention, there are endless possibilities.
The Call of the Twentieth Century
David Starr Jordan
Equally rich are the opportunities in other forms of engineering.
The Call of the Twentieth Century
David Starr Jordan
It was clumsy enough, but in my eyes a marvel of engineering art.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
The above are instances where science has come to the aid of engineering.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 417
Various
I made up my mind to go to Cornell for the course on engineering.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole

British Dictionary definitions for engineering

engineering

noun

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

engineer

noun

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

verb (tr)

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

Word Origin for engineer

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

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.

engineer

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.

engineer

1843 (but cf. engineering), from engineer (n.). Figurative sense of "arrange, contrive" is attested from 1864, originally in a political context. Related: Engineered.

engineering in Science

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.