*engineer*

n. The application of engineeering principles to solve problems in medicine, such as the design of artificial limbs or organs; -- called also bioengineering. [ PJC ]

. (a) In the United States army, the a corps of officers and enlisted men consisting of one band and three battalions of engineers commanded by a brigadier general, whose title is Chief of Engineers. It has charge of the construction of fortifications for land and seacoast defense, the improvement of rivers and harbors, the construction of lighthouses, etc., and, in time of war, supervises the engineering operations of the armies in the field. (b) In the United States navy, a corps made up of the engineers, which was amalgamated with the line by act of March 3, 1899. It consisted of assistant and passed assistant engineers, ranking with ensigns and lieutenants, chief engineers, ranking from lieutenant to captain, and engineer in chief, ranking with commodore and having charge of the Bureau of Steam Engineering. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ OE. enginer: cf. OF. engignier, F. ingénieur. See Engine, n. ] 1. A person skilled in the principles and practice of any branch of engineering; as, a civil engineer; an electronic engineer; a chemical engineer. See under Engineering, n. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. One who manages as engine, particularly a steam engine; an engine driver. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who carries through an enterprise by skillful or artful contrivance; an efficient manager. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Civil engineer, a person skilled in the science of civil engineering. --
Military engineer, one who executes engineering works of a military nature. See under Engineering. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Engineered p. pr. & vb. n. Engineering. ] 1. To lay out or construct, as an engineer; to perform the work of an engineer on; as, to engineer a road. J. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To use contrivance and effort for; to guide the course of; to manage; as, to engineer a bill through Congress. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Originally, the art of managing engines; in its modern and extended sense, the art and science by which the properties of matter are made useful to man, whether in structures, machines, chemical substances, or living organisms; the occupation and work of an engineer. In the modern sense, the application of mathematics or systematic knowledge beyond the routine skills of practise, for the design of any complex system which performs useful functions, may be considered as engineering, including such abstract tasks as designing software (software engineering). [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

☞ In a comprehensive sense, engineering includes architecture as a mechanical art, in distinction from architecture as a fine art. It was formerly divided into military engineering, which is the art of designing and constructing offensive and defensive works, and civil engineering, in a broad sense, as relating to other kinds of public works, machinery, etc. --
Civil engineering, in modern usage, is strictly the art of planning, laying out, and constructing fixed public works, such as railroads, highways, canals, aqueducts, water works, bridges, lighthouses, docks, embankments, breakwaters, dams, tunnels, etc. --
Mechanical engineering relates to machinery, such as steam engines, machine tools, mill work, etc. --
Mining engineering deals with the excavation and working of mines, and the extraction of metals from their ores, etc. Engineering is further divided into steam engineering, gas engineering, agricultural engineering, topographical engineering, electrical engineering, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The application of computerized data and text manipulation to manage and interpret large bodies of knowledge, or find useful information in large bodies of data. The study of methods for knowledge engineering is generally considered as a branch of artificial intelligence. [ PJC ]