engine
n. countablen. the part of a machine that uses fuel or electricity to create movement. In computing, it can also mean a complex program that does a specific job, like finding information on the internet.
n. a machine designed to convert energy into mechanical motion. In a computational context, it refers to a core software component that performs a fundamental, repetitive function for a larger system.
The car stopped because the engine was too hot.
Most people use a search engine every day to find answers to their questions online.
The game developers decided to build a custom graphics engine to handle the unique lighting requirements of their open-world environment.
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.
Commonly used in compound nouns such as 'search engine', 'steam engine', or 'jet engine'.