English
man engine
From man (noun) + engine (noun), referring to an engine for raising or lowering people.
Proto-Germanic *mann- ‘human being, person, man’
Proto-West Germanic *mann ‘person’
Old English mann ‘human being, person, man’
Middle English man
English man
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
Today it means
noun A mechanical lift for raising and lowering people through considerable distances; specifically (mining), a device by which miners ascend or descend in a shaft, consisting of a series of landings or sollars in the shaft and an equal number of shelves on a vertical rod which has an up and down motion equal to the distance between the successive landings. A person steps from a landing to a shelf and
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / man engine