engineer

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engineer

/ˌɛn(d)ʒɪˈnɪə/ UK
/ˌɛnd͡ʒɪˈnɪ(ə)ɹ/ US
/ˈɪn.dʒɪ.ˈniː.jər/ India
/ɪnˈdʒiː.nɪ.jər/ India

Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

The noun is derived from:

* Middle English enginour (“one who designs, constructs, or operates military works for attack or defence, etc.; machine designer”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman enginour, engigneour [and other forms], and Middle French and Old French engigneor, engigneour, engignier (“one who designs, constructs, or operates military works for attack or defence; architect; carpenter; craftsman; designer; planner; one who deceives or schemes”) (modern French ingénieur), from engin (“contraption, device; machine; invention; creativity, ingenuity; intelligence; deception, ruse, trickery”) + -eor, -or (suffix forming agent nouns); engin is derived from Latin ingenium (“innate or natural quality, nature; intelligence, natural capacity; ability, skill, talent; (Medieval Latin) engine; machine”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + gignere (the present active infinitive of gignō (“to bear, beget, give birth to; to cause, produce, yield”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget, give birth to; to produce”)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns); and

* from engine + -er (occupational suffix); and

* from engine + -eer (suffix forming nouns denoting people associated with, concerned with, or engaged in specified activities), possibly modelled after Middle French ingénieur (a variant of Middle French, Old French engigneour; see above), and Italian ingegniere (“engineer”) (obsolete; modern Italian ingegnere).

The verb is derived from the noun.

Cognates

* Medieval Latin, Late Latin ingeniārius (“engineer”)

* Medieval Latin ingeniator (“one constructing or using an engine”)

* Old Occitan engenhador, enginhador

* Portuguese engenhador (obsolete), engenheiro (“engineer”)

* Spanish engeñero (obsolete), ingeniero (“engineer”)

noun engineers

also, figuratively A soldier engaged in designing or constructing military works for attack or defence, or other engineering works. For tis the ſport to haue the enginer / Hoiſt with his ovvne petar, an't ſhall goe hard / But I vvill delue one yard belovve their mines, / And blovve them at the Moone: […]
also, figuratively, obsolete A soldier in charge of operating a weapon; an artilleryman, a gunner. This is hard welcome, but it was not you, / At whom the fatal enginer did ayme, / My breaſt the levell was, though you the marke, / In which conſpiracie anſwere me Duke, / Is not thy ſoule as guiltie as the Earles?
broadly A person professionally engaged in the technical design and construction of large-scale private and public works such as bridges, buildings, harbours, railways, roads, etc.; a civil engineer. [T]o an Enginer alſo, vvho promiſed to bring into the Capitoll huge Columnes vvith ſmall charges, hee gave for his deviſe no meane revvard; and releaſed him his labour in performing that vvorke, ſaying vvithall by vvay of preface, That he ſhould ſuffer him to feed the poore commons.
Similar: hostler
broadly Originally, a person engaged in designing, constructing, or maintaining engines or machinery; now (more generally), a person qualified or professionally engaged in any branch of engineering, or studying to do so. Macanopoietico, an inginer, an engine-maker.
Similar: hostler
broadly, historical A person who operates a steam engine; specifically (nautical), a person employed to operate the steam engine in the engine room of a ship. The machinery [the steam engine] has proved, like the balloon, unmanageable, and flies away with the aeronaut. Steam, from the first, hissed and screamed to warn him; it was dreadful with its explosion, and crushed the engineer. The machinist has wrought and watched, engineers and firemen without nu
Similar: hostler, engineman
US, broadly A person who drives or operates a fire engine (firefighting apparatus).
Similar: hostler
US, broadly A person who drives or operates a locomotive; a train driver.
Similar: hostler
broadly Preceded by a qualifying word: a person who uses abilities or knowledge to manipulate events or people. a political engineer
Similar: hostler
broadly, derogatory, often A person who formulates plots or schemes; a plotter, a schemer. But the trimme ſilke-worme I looked for (as it were in a proper contempt of common fineneſſe) prooveth but a ſilly glow-woorme, and the dreadfull enginer of phraſes, in steede of thunderboltes, ſhooteth nothing but dogboltes and catboltes, and the homelieſt boltes of rude folly: […]
Similar: hostler
An honorific title given to engineers before their name.

verb engineers · engineering · engineered

transitive To employ one's abilities and knowledge as an engineer to design, construct, and/or maintain (something, such as a machine or a structure), usually for industrial or public use.
specifically, transitive To use genetic engineering to alter or construct (a DNA sequence), or to alter (an organism). In an interesting animal study, scientists engineered mice with a specific gene defect that caused memory and learning problems.
transitive To plan or achieve (a goal) by contrivance or guile; to finagle, to wangle.
intransitive To formulate plots or schemes; to plot, to scheme.
Similar: machinate
intransitive, rare To work as an engineer. What of the grand tools with which we engineer, like kobolds and enchanters,—tunnelling Alps, canalling the American Isthmus, piercing the Arabian desert?

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: engine driver, technologist, organize, mastermind, orchestrate, direct, applied scientist, railroad engineer, mechanic, machinist, machine, architect, contractor, sapper, repairman, works

Translations

Every language

noun person engaged in designing, constructing, or maintaining engines or machinery; (more generally) a person qualified or professionally engaged in any branch of e

Español	ingeniero, ingeniera
한국어	엔지니어 enjinieo, 기사 gisa, 기술자 gisulja, 공학자 gonghakja
日本語	エンジニア enjinia, 技術者 gijutsusha, 技師 gishi
中文	工程師 /工程师 gōngchéngshī, 技師 /技师 jìshī
हिन्दी	अभियंता abhiyantā, अभियन्ता abhiyantā, इंजीनियर iñjīniyar
Kiswahili	injinia, mhandisi class l
Português	engenheiro, engenheira
Français	ingénieur, ingénieure
Deutsch	Ingenieur, Ingenieurin
Italiano	ingegnere, ingegnera
Ελληνικά	μηχανικός michanikós, μηχανολόγος michanológos
Română	inginer, ingineră
Русский	инжене́р inženér, инжене́рка inženérka, инжене́рша inženérša
Tiếng Việt	kĩ sư or kỹ sư
العربية	مُهَنْدِس muhandis, مُهَنْدِسَة muhandisa
עברית	מְהַנְדֵּס m'handés

noun person who drives or operates a locomotive

Español	maquinista
한국어	기관사 gigwansa
日本語	機関士 kikanshi
中文	司機 /司机 sījī
Português	maquinista
Français	conducteur de train, machiniste
Deutsch	Lokomotivführer, Lokomotivführerin, Maschinist, Maschinistin
Italiano	macchinista
Ελληνικά	μηχανικός michanikós
Română	mecanic
Русский	машини́ст mašiníst
Tiếng Việt	người phụ trách máy

verb to use genetic engineering to alter or construct (a DNA sequence), or to alter (an organism)

Español	manipular genéticamente

verb to plan or achieve (a goal) by contrivance or guile — see also finagle, wangle

Português	maquinar
Ελληνικά	εξυφαίνω exyfaíno
עברית	הינדס hindés

verb to work as engineer

Ελληνικά	απεργάζομαι apergázomai, χαλκεύω chalkévo, εξυφαίνω exyfaíno, σκαρώνω skaróno

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MLA

"engineer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/engineer. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

engineer. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/engineer

Chicago

"engineer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/engineer.

BibTeX

@misc{engineer_2026,
  title = {engineer},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/engineer},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}