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REFERENCE

engine

n.
US //ˈɛndʒən// UK //ˈɛndʒɪn// en·gine
  1. 1 vehicle motor (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    the part of a car or machine that uses fuel to create movement.

    a machine that converts fuel or electricity into mechanical power to provide motion for a vehicle.

    Example

    He opened the hood of the car to check why the engine was making a strange noise.

    Example

    The aircraft's primary engine failed shortly after takeoff, forcing the pilot to rely on the secondary power unit for an emergency landing.
  2. 2 software system (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Computing

    a computer program that handles a specific task, like searching the internet or running a game.

    a core software component or hardware system responsible for a specific technical function.

    Example

    Most people use a search engine to find information on the web.

    Example

    The new graphics engine allows the game to render realistic lighting and shadows in real time without slowing down the performance.
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  1. 3 railway locomotive (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the heavy vehicle at the front of a train that pulls the other cars.

    a self-powered vehicle used for pulling or pushing freight or passenger cars along a railway track.

    Example

    The steam engine pulled the long train slowly out of the station.

    Example

    The heavy freight engine struggled to maintain speed while ascending the steep mountain pass with fifty loaded wagons in tow.
  2. 4 driving force (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    a person or thing that provides the energy or power for a project to succeed.

    a person, group, or entity that acts as a primary source of power, influence, or progress within a larger system.

    Example

    Small businesses are often the engine of the country's economy.

    Example

    The research department has long been the engine of innovation for the company, producing dozens of patents every year.
  3. 5 historical weapon (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

    a large machine used in old wars to throw stones or break down walls.

    a large mechanical construction used in historical warfare, such as a catapult or battering ram.

    Example

    The army used a massive wooden engine to break through the castle gates.

    Example

    The besieging forces constructed formidable engines of war, designed to hurl heavy projectiles over the high stone ramparts of the fortress.
    • siege machine
Origin

From Middle English engyn, from Anglo-Norman engine, Old French engin (“skill, cleverness, war machine”), from Latin ingenium (“innate or natural quality, nature, genius, a genius, an invention, (in Late Latin) a war-engine, battering-ram”), related to ingignō (“to instil by birth, implant, produce in”). Compare gin, ingenious, engineer.

Word family
Idioms1 entry

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