I. ˌen-jə-ˈnir noun
Etymology: Middle English engineour, from Anglo-French, from enginer to devise, construct, from engin
Date: 14th century
1. : a member of a military group devoted to engineering work
2. obsolete : a crafty schemer : plotter
3.
a. : a designer or builder of engines
b. : a person who is trained in or follows as a profession a branch of engineering
c. : a person who carries through an enterprise by skillful or artful contrivance
4. : a person who runs or supervises an engine or an apparatus
II. transitive verb
Date: 1843
1. : to lay out, construct, or manage as an engineer
engineer a bridge
2.
a. : to contrive or plan out usually with more or less subtle skill and craft
engineer a business deal
b. : to guide the course of
engineer a rally
3. : to modify or produce by genetic engineering
corn engineer ed to resist crop pests
Synonyms: see guide