engine
[ en-juh n ]
/ ˈɛn dʒən /
noun
a machine for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy or power to produce force and motion.
a railroad locomotive.
a fire engine.
any mechanical contrivance.
a machine or instrument used in warfare, as a battering ram, catapult, or piece of artillery.
Obsolete.
an instrument of torture, especially the rack.
Origin of engine
OTHER WORDS FROM engine
en·gine·less, adjective mul·ti·en·gine, nounWords nearby engine
Example sentences from the Web for engine
British Dictionary definitions for engine
engine
/ (ˈɛndʒɪn) /
noun
any machine designed to convert energy, esp heat energy, into mechanical work
a steam engine; a petrol engine
- a railway locomotive
- (as modifier)the engine cab
military
any of various pieces of equipment formerly used in warfare, such as a battering ram or gun
obsolete
any instrument or device
engines of torture
Word Origin for engine
C13: from Old French
engin, from Latin
ingenium nature, talent, ingenious contrivance, from
in- ² +
-genium, related to
gignere to beget, produce
Scientific definitions for engine
engine
[ ĕn′jĭn ]
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. See more at internal-combustion engine steam engine. See also motor.