engine

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A machine that converts energy into mechanical force or motion.
• noun Such a machine distinguished from an electric, spring-driven, or hydraulic motor by its use of a fuel.
• noun A mechanical appliance, instrument, or tool.
• noun An agent, instrument, or means of accomplishment.
• noun A locomotive.
• noun A fire engine.
• noun Computers A search engine.
• transitive verb To equip with an engine or engines.

from The Century Dictionary.

• To contrive.
• To assault with engines of war.
• To torture by means of an engine; rack.
• To furnish with an engine or engines: as, the vessel was built on the Clyde and engined at Greenwich.
• noun A locomotive which has two or more pairs of driving-wheels coupled together by side or parallel rods.
• noun A form of engine in which the crank is driven by the pressure on two rectangular pistons, the second of which traverses in a suitable recess in the first This double motion enables the pistons to follow the angular displacement of the crank without the use of connecting-rods, and gives a square section to the case inclosing the two pistons.
• noun Innate or natural ability; ingenuity; craft; skill.
• noun An artful device or contrivance; a skilfully devised plan or method; a subtle artifice.
• noun An instrumental agent or agency of any kind; anything used to effect a purpose; an instrumentality.
• noun An apparatus for producing some mechanical effect; especially, a skilful mechanical contrivance: used in a very general way.
• noun Specifically— A snare, gin, or trap.
• noun A mechanism, instrument, weapon, or tool by which a violent effect is produced, as a musket, cannon, rack, catapult, battering-ram, etc.; specifically, in old use, a rack for torture; by extension, any tool or instrument: as, engines of war or of torture.
• noun More particulary— A skilfully contrived mechanism or machine, the parts of which concur in producing an intended effect; a machine for applying any of the mechanical or physical powers to effect a particular purpose; especially, a self-contained, self-moving mechanism for the conversion of energy into useful work: as, a hydraulic engine for utilizing the pressure of water; a steam-, gas-, or air-engine, in which the elastic force of steam, gas, or air is utilized; a fire-engine; stationary or locomotive engines. In popular absolute use, the word generally has reference to a locomotive engine. See these words.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• transitive verb obsolete To assault with an engine.
• transitive verb To equip with an engine; -- said especially of steam vessels.
• transitive verb obsolete To rack; to torture.
• noun obsolete Natural capacity; ability; skill.
• noun Anything used to effect a purpose; any device or contrivance; a machine; an agent.
• noun Any instrument by which any effect is produced; especially, an instrument or machine of war or torture.
• noun (Mach.) A compound machine by which any physical power is applied to produce a given physical effect.
• noun one who manages an engine; specifically, the engineer of a locomotive.
• noun (Mach.) See under Lathe.
• noun a machine tool.
• noun (Fine Arts) a method of ornamentation by means of a rose engine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun obsolete Cunning, trickery.
• noun obsolete The result of cunning; a plot, a scheme.
• noun engineering A device to convert energy into useful mechanical motion, especially heat energy
• noun A powered locomotive used for pulling cars on railways.
• noun A person or group of people which influence a larger group.
• noun informal the brain or heart.
• noun computing A software system, not a complete program, responsible for a technical task (as in layout engine, physics engine).
• verb obsolete To assault with an engine.
• verb dated To equip with an engine; said especially of steam vessels.
• verb obsolete To rack; to torture.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun an instrument or machine that is used in warfare, such as a battering ram, catapult, artillery piece, etc.
• noun motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
• noun a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks
• noun something used to achieve a purpose