5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Engine  \En"gine\,  n.  [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.] 
  1.  (Pronounced,  in  this  sense  ????.)  Natural  capacity; 
  ability;  skill.  [Obs.] 
 
  A  man  hath  sapiences  three  Memory,  engine,  and 
  intellect  also  --Chaucer. 
 
  2.  Anything  used  to  effect  a  purpose;  any  device  or 
  contrivance;  an  agent.  --Shak. 
 
  You  see  the  ways  the  fisherman  doth  take  To  catch 
  the  fish;  what  engines  doth  he  make?  --Bunyan. 
 
  Their  promises,  enticements,  oaths,  tokens,  and  all 
  these  engines  of  lust.  --Shak. 
 
  3.  Any  instrument  by  which  any  effect  is  produced; 
  especially,  an  instrument  or  machine  of  war  or  torture. 
  ``Terrible  engines  of  death.''  --Sir  W.  Raleigh. 
 
  4.  (Mach.)  A  compound  machine  by  which  any  physical  power  is 
  applied  to  produce  a  given  physical  effect. 
 
  {Engine  driver},  one  who  manages  an  engine;  specifically,  the 
  engineer  of  a  locomotive. 
 
  {Engine  lathe}.  (Mach.)  See  under  {Lathe}. 
 
  {Engine  tool},  a  machine  tool.  --J.  Whitworth 
 
  {Engine  turning}  (Fine  Arts),  a  method  of  ornamentation  by 
  means  of  a  rose  engine. 
 
  Note:  The  term  engine  is  more  commonly  applied  to  massive 
  machines,  or  to  those  giving  power,  or  which  produce 
  some  difficult  result.  Engines,  as  motors,  are 
  distinguished  according  to  the  source  of  power,  as 
  steam  engine,  air  engine,  electro-magnetic  engine;  or 
  the  purpose  on  account  of  which  the  power  is  applied, 
  as  fire  engine,  pumping  engine,  locomotive  engine;  or 
  some  peculiarity  of  construction  or  operation,  as 
  single-acting  or  double-acting  engine,  high-pressure  or 
  low-pressure  engine,  condensing  engine,  etc 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Engine  \En"gine\,  v.  t. 
  1.  To  assault  with  an  engine.  [Obs.] 
 
  To  engine  and  batter  our  walls.  --T.  Adams. 
 
  2.  To  equip  with  an  engine;  --  said  especially  of  steam 
  vessels;  as  vessels  are  often  built  by  one  firm  and 
  engined  by  another. 
 
  3.  (Pronounced,  in  this  sense  ?????.)  To  rack;  to  torture. 
  [Obs.]  --Chaucer. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  engine 
  n  1:  converts  thermal  energy  to  mechanical  work 
  2:  something  used  to  achieve  a  purpose:  "an  engine  of  change" 
  3:  self-propelled  engine  used  to  draw  trains  along  railway 
  tracks  [syn:  {locomotive},  {locomotive  engine},  {railway 
  locomotive}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  engine  n.  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'. 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  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",  or 
  "{search  engine}". 
 
  The  hackish  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}". 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
  (1996-05-31) 
 
 

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