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English

WOTD – 4 March 2022

Etymology

The noun is derived from:^[1]

Middle English enginour (“one who designs, constructs, or operates military works for attack or defence, etc.; machine designer”) [and other forms],^[2] 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.^[3]

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”)

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɛn(d)ʒɪˈnɪə/
- Audio (London): (file)
(General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌɛnd͡ʒɪˈnɪɹ/
- Audio (California): (file)
- Audio (Connecticut): (file)
(Australia) IPA^(key): /ˌend͡ʒɪˈnɪə/
(New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˌend͡ʒɪˈniə/
(India) IPA^(key): /ˈɪn.d͡ʒɪ.ˈniː.jər/, /ɪnˈd͡ʒiː.nɪ.jər/
Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)
Hyphenation: en‧gin‧eer

Noun

engineer (plural engineers)

(military, also figuratively)
1. A soldier engaged in designing or constructing military works for attack or defence, or other engineering works.
  - c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv], signature [I4], verso:
    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: […]
    For it's amusing to have the engineer / Hoisted into the sky with his own explosive, and if I'm lucky / I will dig one yard below their mines, / And blow them towards the Moon: […]
  - 1625, Edmund Scot, “A Discourse of Iaua, and of the First English Factorie there, with Diuers Indian, English, and Dutch Occurrents, […]”, in [Samuel] Purchas, Purchas His Pilgrimes. […], 1st part, London: […] William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, […], →OCLC, 3rd book, § IIII, page 173:
    Novv he began another Trade, and became an Ingenor, hauing got eight Fire-brands of hell more to him, onely of purpoſe to ſet our houſe a fire.
  - 1627, Michaell [i.e., Michael] Drayton, “The Battaile of Agincourt”, in The Battaile of Agincourt. […], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for William Lee, […], →OCLC, page 12:
    Cannons vpon their Carriage mounted are, / VVhole Battery Fraunce muſt feele vpon her VValls, / The Engineer prouiding the Petar, / To breake the ſtrong Percullice, and the Balls / Of VVild fire deuis'd to throvv from farre, / To burne to ground their Pallaces and Halls: […]
  - 1794 May 28, Edmund Burke, “Trial of Warren Hastings, Esq. Wednesday, 28th May 1794. First Day of Reply.”, in [Walker King], editor, The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, new edition, volume XV, London: […] [Luke Hansard & Sons] for C[harles] & J[ohn] Rivington, […], published 1827, →OCLC, pages 63–64:
    But your Lordships must have heard with astonishment, that, upon points of law, relative to the tenure of lands, instead of producing any law document or authority on the usages and local customs of the country, he has referred to officers in the army, colonels of artillery and engineers, to young gentlemen just come from school, not above three or four years in the country.
  - 1866, C[harles] Kingsley, “How Earl Godwin’s Widow Came to St. Omer”, in Hereward the Wake, “Last of the English.” […], volume I, London; Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 341:
    And she began praising Hereward's valour, his fame, his eloquence, his skill as a general and engineer; and when he suggested, smiling, that he was an exile and an outlaw, she insisted he was all the fitter from that very fact.
2. (obsolete) A soldier in charge of operating a weapon; an artilleryman, a gunner.
  - 1599, [Thomas Heywood], “The Second Part […]”, in The First and Second Partes of King Edward the Fourth. […], London: […] I. W. for Iohn Oxenbridge, […], →OCLC, signature N, recto:
    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?
  - [1633], George Herbert, “The Church-porch”, in [Nicholas Ferrar], editor, The Temple. Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, […], →OCLC, page 9:
    Wit's an unruly engine, wildly ſtriking / Sometimes a friend, ſometimes the engineer.
  - 1716 March 6 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 19. Friday, February 24. [1716.]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, →OCLC, page 426:
    An Author who points his ſatyr at a great man, is to be looked upon in the ſame view with the engineer who ſignalized himſelf by this ungenerous practice.
  - 1855 July 4, Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.: [James and Andrew Rome], →OCLC, page v, column 1:
    In war he [the poet] is the most deadly force of the war. Who recruits him recruits horse and foot … he fetches parks of artillery the best that engineer ever knew.
(by extension)
Synonym: hostler
1. 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.
  - 1606, Caius [i.e., Gaius] Suetonius Tranquillus, “The Historie of Flavius Vespatianus Augustus”, in Philêmon Holland, transl., The Historie of Twelve Cæsars Emperours of Rome. […], London: […] [Humphrey Lownes and George Snowdon] for Matthew Lownes, →OCLC, section 17, page 249:
    [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.
3. 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.
  - 1598, John Florio, “Macanopoietico”, in A Worlde of Words, or Most Copious, and Exact Dictionarie in Italian and English, […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield for Edw[ard] Blount, →OCLC, page 209, column 3:
    Macanopoietico, an inginer, an engine-maker.
  - 1623 November 8 (Gregorian calendar; first performance), Thomas Middleton, “The Triumphs of Integrity”, in A[rthur] H[enry] Bullen, editor, The Works of Thomas Middleton […] (The English Dramatists), volume VII, London: John C. Nimmo […], published 1886, →OCLC, page 391:
    [N]ear St. Laurence-Lane his lordship receives an entertainment from an unparalleled masterpiece of art, called the Crystal Sanctuary, styled by the name of the Temple of Integrity, […] and more to express the invention and the art of the engineer, as also for motion, variety, and the content of the spectators, this Crystal Temple is made to open in many parts, at fit and convenient times, and upon occasion of the speech; […]
    The spelling has been modernized.
  - 2015 November 5, Ian Bogost, “Programmers: Stop Calling Yourselves Engineers”, in James Bennet, editor, The Atlantic‎^[1], Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 6 November 2015:
    Somehow, everybody who isn’t in sales, marketing, or design became an engineer. “We’re hiring engineers,” read startup websites, which could mean anything from Javascript^[sic] programmers to roboticists.
4. A person trained to operate an engine.
  1. (chiefly 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.
    Synonym: engineman
    - 1856, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Wealth”, in English Traits, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, →OCLC, pages 170–171:
      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 number have been sacrificed in learning to tame and guide the monster.
    - 1892, Walt Whitman, “Song of the Answerer”, in Leaves of Grass […], Philadelphia, Pa.: David McKay, publisher, […], →OCLC, part 1, page 136:
      The engineer, the deck-hand on the great lakes, or on the Mississippi or St. Lawrence or Sacramento, or Hudson or Paumanok sound, claims him.
    - 1902 January–March, Joseph Conrad, “Typhoon”, in George R. Halkett, editor, The Pall Mall Magazine, volume XXVI, London: Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, →OCLC, chapter IV, page 226, column 2:
      One of the stokers was disabled, the others had given in, the second engineer and the donkey-man were firing-up. The third engineer was standing by the steam-valve. The engines were being tended by hand.
  2. (US, firefighting) A person who drives or operates a fire engine (firefighting apparatus).
  4. (chiefly US, rail transport) A person who drives or operates a locomotive; a train driver.
    Hypernym: footplateman
    
    Coordinate term: fireman
5. Preceded by a qualifying word: a person who uses abilities or knowledge to manipulate events or people.
  a political engineer
  - 1727, [Daniel Defoe], “Of the Present Pretences of the Magicians: How They Defend Themselves; and Some Examples of Their Practice”, in A System of Magick; or, A History of the Black Art. […], London: […] J. Roberts […], →OCLC, page 319:
    Now that I may not ſeem to paſs my Cenſure raſhly, I deſire that my more intelligent Readers will pleaſe to reduce the following things into Meaning, if they can, and favour us with the Interpretation; being ſome particular Account of the Life of this famous, religious Ingineer, for I know not what elſe to call him, and the Titles of ſome of his Books.
6. (often derogatory) A person who formulates plots or schemes; a plotter, a schemer.
  - 1593, Gabriell Haruey [i.e., Gabriel Harvey], Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. A Preparative to Certaine Larger Discourses, Intituled Nashes S. Fame, London: […] Iohn Wolfe, →OCLC; republished as John Payne Collier, editor, Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. […] (Miscellaneous Tracts. Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I; no. 8), [London]: [s.n.], [1870], →OCLC, page 10:
    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: […]
  - 1603 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, Seianus His Fall, London: […] G[eorge] Elld, for Thomas Thorpe, published 1605, →OCLC, Act I, signature B, recto:
    No Silius, vve are no good Inginers; / VVe vvant the fine Artes, & their thriuing vſe / Should make vs grac'd, or fauour'd of the Times: / […] / VVe burne vvith no black ſecrets, vvhich can make / Vs deare to the pale Authors; or liue fear'd / Of their ſtill vvaking iealoſies, to raiſe / Our ſelues a Fortune, by ſubuerting theirs.
  - 1903 October, Jack London, “Coronation Day”, in The People of the Abyss, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 144:
    [T]he fighting men of England, masters of destruction, engineers of death!
An honorific title given to engineers before their name.

Usage notes

The word engineer is usually capitalized or abbreviated as Engr when used as a title:
Engr. Smith

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

→ Burmese: အင်ဂျင်နီယာ (anggyangniya)
→ Gujarati: ઇજનેર (ijaner)
→ Hawaiian: ʻenekinia
→ Hindi: इंजीनियर (iñjīniyar)
→ Japanese: エンジニア (enjinia)
→ Mon: အိန်ဂျေန်နဳယျာ
→ Persian:
- Dari: اِنْجِنِیر (injinīr)
→ Samoan: 'inisinia

Translations

person engaged in designing, constructing, or maintaining engines or machinery; (more generally) a person qualified or professionally engaged in any branch of engineering, or studying to do so

Abkhaz: анџьныр (andžnər)
Afrikaans: ingenieur (af)
Albanian: inxhinier (sq) m, inxhiniere (sq) f, mendis m
Amharic: ኢንጂነር (ʾinǧinär), መሀንዲስ (mähändis)
Arabic: مُهَنْدِس (ar) m (muhandis), مُهَنْدِسَة f (muhandisa)
Egyptian Arabic: مهندس m (muhandis)

South Levantine Arabic: مهندس m (muhándes)
Aramaic:
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܡܲܚܵܪܵܐ m (maḥḥārē), ܡܲܚܵܪܬܵܐ f (maḥḥārtā)
Armenian: ինժեներ (hy) (inžener), ճարտարագետ (hy) (čartaraget)
Assamese: অভিযন্তা (obhizonta)
Asturian: inxenieru (ast) m
Azerbaijani: mühəndis (az), injener
Belarusian: інжыне́р m (inžynjér), інжыне́рка m (inžynjérka), інжынэ́р m (inžynér), інжынэ́рка f (inžynérka)
Bengali: প্রকৌশলী (bn) (prokōusli)
Bulgarian: инжене́р (bg) m (inženér), инжене́рка f (inženérka)
Burmese: အင်ဂျင်နီယာ (my) (anggyangniya)
Carpathian Rusyn: інжінї́р m (inžinjír)
Catalan: enginyer (ca) m, enginyera (ca) f
Chinese:
Cantonese: 工程師 / 工程师 (gung¹ cing⁴ si¹), 技師 / 技师 (gei⁶ si¹)

Hokkien: 技師 / 技师 (zh-min-nan) (ki-su), 工程師 / 工程师 (zh-min-nan) (kang-têng-su)

Mandarin: 工程師 / 工程师 (zh) (gōngchéngshī), 技師 / 技师 (zh) (jìshī)
Crimean Tatar: müendis
Czech: inženýr (cs) m, inženýrka (cs) f
Danish: ingeniør (da) c
Dutch: ingenieur (nl) m or f
Esperanto: inĝeniero
Estonian: insener
Faroese: verkfrøðingur m
Finnish: insinööri (fi)
French: ingénieur (fr) m, ingénieure (fr) f
Galician: enxeñeiro (gl) m, enxeñeira f
Georgian: ინჟინერი (inžineri)
German: Ingenieur (de) m, Ingenieurin (de) f
Greek: μηχανικός (el) m or f (michanikós), μηχανολόγος (el) m or f (michanológos)
Ancient Greek: μηχανικός m (mēkhanikós), μηχανοποιός m (mēkhanopoiós)
Haitian Creole: enjenyè
Hawaiian: ʻenekinia, wilikī
Hebrew: מְהַנְדֵּס (he) m (m'handés)
Hindi: अभियंता m (abhiyantā), अभियन्ता m (abhiyantā), इंजीनियर (hi) m (iñjīniyar)
Hungarian: mérnök (hu)
Icelandic: verkfræðingur m
Indonesian: insinyur (id)
Ingrian: inženera
Irish: innealtóir m
Italian: ingegnere (it) m, ingegnera f
Japanese: エンジニア (ja) (enjinia), 技術者 (ja) (ぎじゅつしゃ, gijutsusha), 技師 (ja) (ぎし, gishi)
Kazakh: инженер (ıynjener)
Khmer: វិស្វករ (km) (vɨhsvaʼkɑɑ)
Korean: 엔지니어 (enjinieo), 기사(技師) (ko) (gisa), 기술자(技術者) (ko) (gisulja), 공학자(工學者) (gonghakja), 공정사 (工程師) (gongjeongsa) (Yanbian)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ئەندازیار (endazyar)

Northern Kurdish: endazyar (ku), mihendis (ku)
Kyrgyz: инженер (ky) (injener)
Ladino: injeniero, moendiz
Lao: ນາຍຊ່າງ (nāi sāng), ສະຖາປະນິກ (sa thā pa nik), ວິດສະວະກອນ (wit sa wa kǭn)
Latin: māchinātor m
Latvian: inženieris m, inženiere f
Ligurian: inzegnê
Lithuanian: inžinierius m, inžiniẽrė f
Luxembourgish: Ingenieur m, Ingenieurin f
Macedonian: инжене́р m (inženér), инжене́рка f (inženérka)
Malay: insinyur (ms), jurutera (ms)
Maltese: inġinier m
Manx: jeshaghteyr m
Marathi: इंजिनियर m (iñjiniyar)
Mauritian Creole: inzenier
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: инженер (mn) (inžener)
Neapolitan: 'ngigniére
Norman: înginnieux m (Jersey)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: ingeniør (no) m

Nynorsk: ingeniør m
Occitan: engenhaire (oc) m
Pannonian Rusyn: инженєр m (inženjer)
Pashto: انجينر m (enjinár), مهندس m (mohandés)
Persian:
Dari: اِنْجِنِیر (injinīr), مُهَنْدِس (muhandis)

Iranian Persian: مُهَنْدِس (mohandes), اِنْجِنیر (enjenir), مُهَنْدِز (mohandez) (archaic)
Piedmontese: ingegné m
Polish: inżynier (pl) m, inżynierka f
Portuguese: engenheiro (pt) m, engenheira (pt) f
Romanian: inginer (ro) m, ingineră (ro) f
Russian: инжене́р (ru) m (inženér), инжене́рка (ru) f (inženérka), инжене́рша (ru) f (inženérša) (feminine forms are less common)
Samoan: 'inisinia
Sanskrit: अभियन्तृ m (abhiyantṛ) (neologism)
Scots: ingineer
Scottish Gaelic: einnseanair m, innleadair m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: инжѐње̄р m, инжѐње̄рка f

Latin: inžènjēr (sh) m, inžènjērka (sh) f
Sicilian: ncigneri (scn) m
Sinhalese: මැවිසුරු (si) (mæwisuru)
Slovak: inžinier m, inžinierka f
Slovene: inženir m, inženirka f
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: inženjer m, inženjerka f

Upper Sorbian: inženjer m
Spanish: ingeniero (es) m, ingeniera f
Swahili: injinia (sw) class V, mhandisi (sw) class l
Swedish: ingenjör (sv) c
Tagalog: inhinyero
Tajik: инженер (inžener), муҳандис (tg) (muhandis)
Tamil: பொறியாளர் (ta) (poṟiyāḷar)
Tatar: инженер (injener), мөхәндис (möxändis)
Telugu: ఇంజనీర్ (iñjanīr), యంత్రకారుడు (te) (yantrakāruḍu)
Thai: วิศวกร (th) (wít-sà-wá-gɔɔn)
Tigrinya: መሃንድስ (mähandəs)
Turkish: kıvcı, mühendis (tr)
Ottoman Turkish: مهندس (mühendis)
Turkmen: injener, inžener
Ukrainian: інжене́р (uk) m (inženér), інжене́рка f (inženérka)
Urdu: اِن٘جِینِئَر m (iñjīniar), مُہَنْدِس m (muhandis)
Uyghur: ئىنژېنېر (inzhënër)
Uzbek: injener (uz), muhandis (uz)
Vietnamese: kĩ sư or kỹ sư (vi) (技師)
Welsh: peiriannwr (cy) m, peiriannydd (cy) m
Yakut: инженер (inzhener)
Yiddish: אינזשעניר m (inzhenir)
Yoruba: ẹn̄jiníà, ẹlẹ́rọ
Zhuang: gunghcwngzswh

person trained to operate an engine — see engineman

person employed in the engine room of a ship to operate its steam engine

Norwegian:
Bokmål: maskinist m, maskinsjef m (chief engineer)

Nynorsk: maskinist m, maskinsjef m (chief engineer)
Polish: maszynista (pl) m, maszynistka (pl) f
Swedish: maskinist (sv) c

person who drives or operates a fire engine

Polish: kierowca wozu strażackiego m

person who drives or operates a locomotive — see also engine driver

Azerbaijani: maşinist
Belarusian: машыні́ст m (mašyníst)
Bulgarian: машини́ст (bg) m (mašiníst)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 司機 / 司机 (zh) (sījī)
Danish: lokofører c, lokomotivfører c
Dutch: machinist (nl) m, treinbestuurder (nl) m (Belgium)
Finnish: veturinkuljettaja (fi)
French: conducteur de train m, machiniste (fr) m or f
Galician: maquinista (gl) m or f
German: Lokomotivführer (de) m, Lokomotivführerin (de) f, Maschinist (de) m, Maschinistin (de) f
Greek: μηχανικός (el) m or f (michanikós)
Hungarian: masiniszta (hu), mozdonyvezető (hu)
Italian: macchinista (it) m or f
Japanese: 機関士 (ja) (きかんし, kikanshi)
Korean: 기관사(機關士) (ko) (gigwansa)
Macedonian: машиновозач m (mašinovozač)
Polish: maszynista (pl) m, maszynistka (pl) f
Portuguese: maquinista (pt) m or f
Romanian: mecanic (ro) m or f
Russian: машини́ст (ru) m (mašiníst) (no feminine form exists)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: машиновођа m, стројовођа m, влаковођа m, возовођа m

Latin: mašinovođa (sh) m, strojovođa (sh) m, vlakovođa (sh) m, vozovođa (sh) m
Sicilian: machinista m
Spanish: maquinista (es) m or f
Swedish: lokförare (sv) c
Tagalog: makinista
Tigrinya: መራሕ ባቡር (märaḥ babur)
Turkish: makinist (tr)
Ukrainian: машині́ст m (mašyníst)
Uzbek: mashinist (uz)
Vietnamese: người phụ trách máy

person who uses abilities or knowledge to manipulate events or people

Polish: manipulator (pl) m, manipulatorka (pl) f

person who formulates plots or schemes — see plotter,‎ schemer

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Translations to be checked

Verb

engineer (third-person singular simple present engineers, present participle engineering, simple past and past participle engineered)

(transitive)
1. 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.
2. (specifically) To use genetic engineering to alter or construct (a DNA sequence), or to alter (an organism).
  - 2018, Timothy R. Jennings, The Aging Brain, →ISBN, page 41:
    In an interesting animal study, scientists engineered mice with a specific gene defect that caused memory and learning problems.
3. To plan or achieve (a goal) by contrivance or guile; to finagle, to wangle.
(intransitive)
1. To formulate plots or schemes; to plot, to scheme.
  Synonym: machinate
2. (rare) To work as an engineer.
  - 1870, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Works and Days”, in Society and Solitude. Twelve Chapters, Boston, Mass.: Fields, Osgood, & Co., →OCLC, page 144:
    What of the grand tools with which we engineer, like kobolds and enchanters,—tunnelling Alps, canalling the American Isthmus, piercing the Arabian desert?

Derived terms

Translations

to employ one’s knowledge and skills as an engineer to design, construct, and/or maintain (something, such as a machine or a structure), usually for industrial or public use