Library / English Dictionary

ENGINEER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems

Synonyms:

applied scientist; engineer; technologist

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("engineer" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "engineer"):

surveyor (an engineer who determines the boundaries and elevations of land or structures)

rocket engineer; rocket scientist (an engineer who builds and tests rockets)

coder; computer programmer; programmer; software engineer (a person who designs and writes and tests computer programs)

mining engineer (an engineer concerned with the construction and operation of mines)

metallurgical engineer; metallurgist (an engineer trained in the extraction and refining and alloying and fabrication of metals)

mechanical engineer (a person trained to design and construct machines)

marine engineer; naval engineer (a naval officer responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ship's engines)

electrical engineer (a person trained in practical applications of the theory of electricity)

civil engineer (an engineer trained to design and construct and maintain public works (roads or bridges or harbors etc.))

automotive engineer (an engineer concerned with the design and construction of automobiles)

army engineer; military engineer (a member of the military who is trained in engineering and construction work)

aerospace engineer (an engineer of aircraft and space vehicles)

aeronautical engineer (an engineer concerned with the design and construction of aircraft)

Instance hyponyms:

James Watt; Watt (Scottish engineer and inventor whose improvements in the steam engine led to its wide use in industry (1736-1819))

Thomas Augustus Watson; Watson (United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934))

Richard Trevithick; Trevithick (English engineer who built the first railway locomotive (1771-1833))

Elmer Ambrose Sperry; Sperry (United States engineer and inventor of the gyrocompass (1860-1930))

Karl Wilhelm Siemens; Siemens; Sir Charles William Siemens (engineer who was a brother of Ernst Werner von Siemens and who moved to England (1823-1883))

Claude E. Shannon; Claude Elwood Shannon; Claude Shannon; Shannon (United States electrical engineer who pioneered mathematical communication theory (1916-2001))

John Augustus Roebling; John Roebling; Roebling (United States engineer (born in Germany) who designed and began construction of the Brooklyn bridge (1806-1869))

da Vinci; Leonardo; Leonardo da Vinci (Italian painter and sculptor and engineer and scientist and architect; the most versatile genius of the Italian Renaissance (1452-1519))

Charles Franklin Kettering; Charles Kettering; Kettering (United States electrical engineer who made numerous automotive improvements (including the electric starter) (1876-1958))

Hugo Junkers; Junkers (German aircraft engineer who designed the first all-metal airplane (1859-1935))

George Washington Goethals; Goethals (United States army officer and engineer who supervised the construction of the Panama Canal (1858-1928))

Buckminster Fuller; Fuller; R. Buckminster Fuller; Richard Buckminster Fuller (United States architect who invented the geodesic dome (1895-1983))

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel; Eiffel (French engineer who constructed the Eiffel Tower (1832-1923))

Bryan Donkin; Donkin (English engineer who developed a method of preserving food by sterilizing it with heat and sealing it inside a steel container--the first tin can (1768-1855))

Diesel; Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel; Rudolf Diesel (German engineer (born in France) who invented the diesel engine (1858-1913))

Daimler; Gottlieb Daimler (German engineer and automobile manufacturer who produced the first high-speed internal combustion engine (1834-1900))

Derivation:

engineer (plan and direct (a complex undertaking))

engineer (design as an engineer)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The operator of a railway locomotive

Synonyms:

engine driver; engineer; locomotive engineer; railroad engineer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("engineer" is a kind of...):

manipulator; operator (an agent that operates some apparatus or machine)

Instance hyponyms:

Casey Jones; John Luther Jones; Jones (United States railroad engineer who died trying to stop his train from crashing into another train; a friend wrote a famous ballad describing the incident (1864-1900))

Derivation:

engine (motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work)

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

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Plan and direct (a complex undertaking)

Example:

he masterminded the robbery

Synonyms:

direct; engineer; mastermind; orchestrate; organise; organize

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "engineer" is one way to...):

plan (make plans for something)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "engineer"):

choreograph (plan and oversee the development and details of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

engineer (a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Design as an engineer

Example:

He engineered the water supply project

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "engineer" is one way to...):

design; plan (make a design of; plan out in systematic, often graphic form)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Did he engineer his major works over a short period of time?

Derivation:

engineer (a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems)

engineering (the practical application of technical and scientific knowledge to commerce or industry)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Inspired by the water-repellent lotus leaf, the new surface works through a combination of nano-scale surface engineering and chemistry.

(Scientists Create Superbug-Resistant Self-Cleaning Surface, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Researchers transplanted engineered pancreatic beta cells into diabetic mice and then induced the cells to produce more than two to three times the typical insulin levels when exposed to light.

(Researchers Develop Insulin-Producing Cells Activated by Light for Diabetes, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Mice genetically engineered to lack a functioning version of the enzyme-coding gene showed abnormalities in working memory, mimicking those commonly seen in schizophrenia patients.

(Schizophrenia risk gene linked to cognitive deficits in mice, National Institutes of Health)

An adenovirus vector engineered to produce CD40 ligand.

(Adenovirus 5-CD40 Ligand, NCI Thesaurus)

Using voltage instead of pressure to drive cooling is simpler from an engineering standpoint, and allows existing design principles to be repurposed without the need for magnets.

(Electronic solid could reduce carbon emissions in fridges and air conditioners, University of Cambridge)

B16alphaGal melanoma vaccine contains three types of human melanoma cell lines that are genetically engineered to express the alpha(1,3)-galactosyl (alphaGal) epitope on cell surfaces.

(B16alphaGal Melanoma Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

It is a professional degree that involves a requirement for undertaking some engineering work.

(Bachelor of Engineering, NCI Thesaurus)

A genetically engineered oncolytic virus with potential antineoplastic property.

(NV1020, NCI Thesaurus)

The Institute is committed to integrating the physical and engineering sciences with the life sciences, to advance basic research and medical care.

(National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NCI Thesaurus)

A United States organization of distinguished scientists and engineers established for the purpose of investigating and reporting upon any subject of art or science as requested by any department of government.

(National Academy of Science, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)