Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “engine” come from?

Engine comes from Anglo-Norman engine, from Old French engin, from Latin ingenium meaning natural talent or cleverness, derived from Latin in and genus meaning born or produced.

engine (English): A large construction used in warfare, such as a...

Definitions

  1. A large construction used in warfare, such as a...

Ancestry of “engine”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishengynengine; Engyn, Middle English, noun - skill,...
2Anglo-Normanengine—
3Old Frenchenginintelligence; ruse; trickery; deception;...
4Latiningeniuminnate or natural quality, natural character;...
5Latingigneresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
6Latingenereablative singular of genus; to beget, produce
7Latingenusbirth, origin, lineage, descent; kind, type,...
8Proto-Italicgenoslineage, origin
9Proto-Indo-Europeanǵénh₁osrace, lineage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth

Words derived from “engine”

  • engined
  • enginery
  • engineman
  • multiengine
  • engineless
  • enginer
  • midengined
  • midengine
  • overengined
  • enginelike
  • engin
  • twin-engine
  • underengined
  • エンジン
  • 엔진
  • इंजन
  • injini
  • enjin
  • enjin
  • enjin
  • အင်ဂျင်
  • ensin
  • ingin
  • yinyjin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →