Etymology
1. The noun is derived from:
2. * Middle English enginour (“one who designs, constructs, or operates military works for attack or defence, etc.; machine designer”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman enginour, engigneour [and other forms], and Middle French and Old French engigneor, engigneour, engignier (“one who designs, constructs, or operates military works for attack or defence; architect; carpenter; craftsman; designer; planner; one who deceives or schemes”) (modern French ingénieur), from engin (“contraption, device; machine; invention; creativity, ingenuity; intelligence; deception, ruse, trickery”) + -eor, -or (suffix forming agent nouns); engin is derived from Latin ingenium (“innate or natural quality, nature; intelligence, natural capacity; ability, skill, talent; (Medieval Latin) engine; machine”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + gignere (the present active infinitive of gignō (“to bear, beget, give birth to; to cause, produce, yield”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget, give birth to; to produce”)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns); and
3. * from engine + -er (occupational suffix); and
4. * from engine + -eer (suffix forming nouns denoting people associated with, concerned with, or engaged in specified activities), possibly modelled after Middle French ingénieur (a variant of Middle French, Old French engigneour; see above), and Italian ingegniere (“engineer”) (obsolete; modern Italian ingegnere).
5. The verb is derived from the noun.
6. Cognates
7. * Medieval Latin, Late Latin ingeniārius (“engineer”)
8. * Medieval Latin ingeniator (“one constructing or using an engine”)
9. * Old Occitan engenhador, enginhador
10. * Portuguese engenhador (obsolete), engenheiro (“engineer”)
11. * Spanish engeñero (obsolete), ingeniero (“engineer”) See: Italian '
ingegniere', Italian '
ingegnere', Portuguese '
engenhador'.