English
engineer
Engineer comes from Anglo-Norman enginour, from Old French engigneor, from engin ‘device; ingenuity’, from Latin ingenium ‘natural ability’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-‘to produce’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵíǵn̥h₁eti‘to engender’reconstructedreduplicated present stem of *ǵenh₁-
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gignōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgignō‘to beget, produce’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEingenium‘innate or natural quality’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400engin‘contraption, device; ingenuity’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400engigneor‘engineer, designer’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400enginour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘military engineer; machine designer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1593engineer
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-‘to produce’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵíǵn̥h₁eti‘to engender’reconstructedreduplicated present stem of *ǵenh₁-
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gignōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgignō‘to beget, produce’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEingenium‘innate or natural quality’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400engin‘contraption, device; ingenuity’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400engigneor‘engineer, designer’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400enginour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘military engineer; machine designer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1593engineer
Earliest quotation: 1593, Gabriell Haruey [i.e., Gabriel Harvey]: “But the trimme ſilke-worme I looked for (as it…”
Formed from engine + -er
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce, beget’
…
Latin ingenium ‘innate quality, nature; invention’
Old French engin ‘intelligence; ruse’
Anglo-Norman engine
Middle English engyn
English engine
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce, beget’
kind, nature, general, nation, german, native, king, pregnant, generation, gender, oxygen, gentle, genre, ken, gene, indigenous, genuine, hydrogen, naive, genocide, noel, genus, natal, kin, innate, nativity, nada, naïve, janata, germ, nascent, gentile, puny, nee, gens, cognate, glycogen, genial, jaunty, genitive, 110 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵíǵn̥h₁eti ‘to engender’
through Proto-Italic *gignō
through Latin gignō ‘to bring forth as a fruit of oneself: to bear,…’
through Latin ingenium ‘innate or natural quality, nature’
Today it means
noun A soldier engaged in designing or constructing military works for attack or defence, or other engineering works.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- / engineer