engine
engine Lexical Profile
engine Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A machine with moving parts that converts power into motion, especially one that uses heat or combustion to generate mechanical power.
"The mechanic had to completely rebuild the car's engine after the timing belt snapped."
A core piece of computer software that drives the primary functionality of a larger program, such as rendering graphics or processing searches.
"The development team spent two years building a custom physics engine for their new video game."
A railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train; a locomotive.
"A massive steam engine pulled the heavy freight cars slowly up the mountain pass."
Word Nuance & Usage
In strict technical contexts, an 'engine' typically creates its own mechanical power from heat or combustion, whereas a 'motor' converts pre-existing power (like electricity) into motion, though everyday language uses them interchangeably.
• Rhymes for engine
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'engin', from Old French 'engin' (skill, cleverness, war machine), deriving from Latin 'ingenium' (innate character, talent, or clever device).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.