Etymology

Noun

1. A person who is qualified or professionally engaged in any branch of engineering.
2. A person trained in a natural science that applies such knowledge towards a practical objective.
3. A person who, given a practical scientific problem involving the physical world and a specific set of goals and constraints, finds a technical solution to the problem that satisfies those goals within those constraints. The goals and constraints may be technical, social, or business related.
4. A person who operates an engine (such as a locomotive).

Verb

1. To design, construct or manage something as an engineer.
2. To alter or construct something by means of genetic engineering.
3. To plan or achieve some goal by contrivance or guile; to wangle or finagle.