Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. engine(noun)

   motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work

2. engine(noun)

   something used to achieve a purpose

   "an engine of change"

3. locomotive, engine, locomotive engine, railway locomotive(noun)

   a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks

4. engine(noun)

   an instrument or machine that is used in warfare, such as a battering ram, catapult, artillery piece, etc.

   "medieval engines of war"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. engine(Noun)

   Cunning, trickery.

2. engine(Noun)

   The result of cunning; a plot, a scheme.

3. engine(Noun)

   A device to convert energy into useful mechanical motion, especially heat energy

4. engine(Noun)

   A powered locomotive used for pulling cars on railways.

5. engine(Noun)

   A person or group of people which influence a larger group.

6. engine(Noun)

   the brain or heart.

7. engine(Noun)

   A software system, not a complete program, responsible for a technical task (as in layout engine, physics engine).

8. engine(Verb)

   To assault with an engine.

   To engine and batter our walls. uE00027131uE001 T. Adams.

9. engine(Verb)

   To equip with an engine; said especially of steam vessels.

   Vessels are often built by one firm and engined by another.

Origin: From engin, from engin, from ingenium, from ingenitum, past participle of ingigno; see ingenious. Engine originally meant 'ingenuity, cunning' which eventually developed into meaning 'the product of ingenuity, a plot or snare' and 'tool, weapon'.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Engine(noun)

   (Pronounced, in this sense, ////.) Natural capacity; ability; skill

2. Engine(noun)

   anything used to effect a purpose; any device or contrivance; an agent

3. Engine(noun)

   any instrument by which any effect is produced; especially, an instrument or machine of war or torture

4. Engine(noun)

   a compound machine by which any physical power is applied to produce a given physical effect

5. Engine(verb)

   to assault with an engine

6. Engine(verb)

   to equip with an engine; -- said especially of steam vessels; as, vessels are often built by one firm and engined by another

7. Engine(verb)

   (Pronounced, in this sense, /////.) To rack; to torture

Origin: [F. engin skill, machine, engine, L. ingenium natural capacity, invention; in in + the root of gignere to produce. See Genius, and cf. Ingenious, Gin a snare.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Engine

   An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat, which then creates motion. Electric motors convert electrical energy into mechanical motion, pneumatic motors use compressed air and others—such as clockwork motors in wind-up toys—use elastic energy. In biological systems, molecular motors, like myosins in muscles, use chemical energy to create motion.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Engine

   en′jin, n. a complex and powerful machine, esp. a prime mover: a military machine: anything used to effect a purpose: a device: contrivance: (obs.) ability, genius.—v.t. to contrive: to put into action.—ns. En′gine-driv′er, one who manages an engine, esp. who drives a locomotive; Engineer′, an engine maker or manager: one who directs works and engines: a soldier belonging to the division of the army called Engineers, consisting of men trained to engineering work.—v.i. to act as an engineer.—v.t. to arrange, contrive.—ns. Engineer′ing, the art or profession of an engineer; En′gine-man, one who drives an engine; En′gine-room, the room in a vessel in which the engines are placed; En′ginery, the art or business of managing engines: engines collectively: machinery; En′gine-turn′ing, a kind of ornament made by a rose-engine, as on the backs of watches, &c.—Civil engineer (see Civil). [O. Fr. engin—L. ingenium, skill. See Ingenious.]

The New Hacker's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. engine

   1. A piece of hardware that encapsulates some function but can't be used without some kind of front end. Today we have, especially, print engine: the guts of a laser printer. 2. An analogous piece of software; notionally, one that does a lot of noisy crunching, such as a database engine.The hacker senses of engine are actually close to its original, pre-Industrial-Revolution sense of a skill, clever device, or instrument (the word is cognate to ‘ingenuity’). This sense had not been completely eclipsed by the modern connotation of power-transducing machinery in Charles Babbage's time, which explains why he named the stored-program computer that he designed in 1844 the Analytical Engine.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. engine

   Song lyrics by engine -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by engine on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Engine' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2141

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Engine' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1710

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Engine' in Nouns Frequency: #680

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Engine in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Engine in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. Harrison Ford:

   Engine failure; immediate return.

2. Eddy M Reyes:

   Monday is the engine of the week.

3. Elvis Presley:

   Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.

4. Stanley Kunitz:

   What makes the engine go Desire, desire, desire.

5. Stanley Kunitz, O Magazine, September 2003:

   What makes the engine go? Desire, desire, desire.

Images & Illustrations of Engine