Forms: 7 en-, inginarie, 7–8 enginry, 7– enginery. [f. ENGINE sb. + -(E)RY; cf. It. ingegneria (which may be the source), OF. engignerie.]
† 1. The art of constructing ‘engines’ (cf. senses of ENGINE sb.); also, the art of the (military) engineer. Also attrib. Obs.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. viii. § 2. Hh 3 b. Perspectiue, Musicke, Astronomie, Cosmographie, Architecture, Inginarie, and diuers others. [The corresponding passage De Augm. III. vi. has machinaria.]
1610. W. Folkingham, Art of Survey, I. ix. 20. Some Enginarie aide must bee assistant to mount the water by Screwes, Pullies, Poizes.
1644. Howell, Engl. Teares, in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), V. 444. Nor can all thy elaborate circumvallations, and trenches, or any art of enginery, keep him [famine] out of thy line of communication.
1672. Petty, Pol. Anat. (1691), 25. The Irish … had [no] … Architecture, Enginery, Painting, Carving, nor any kind of Manufacture.
2. Engines collectively; apparatus, machinery. Frequent in fig. use.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., VI. 261. A feeble Aid! Dedalian Engin’ry.
1774. Johnson, Diary, 20 Sept., in Boswell, xlvi. Boulton … led us through his shops—I could not distinctly see his enginery.
c. 1840. Thirlwall, in Rem. (1878), III. 1. The enginery of war is often brought out.
1851. Tennyson, Ode Internat. Exhib., iii. 6. Harvest-tool and husbandry, Loom and wheel and enginery.
1862. Dana, Man. Geol., 747. An animal is a self-propagating piece of enginery.
fig. a. 1763. Shenstone, Economy, Wks. (1764), I. 320. The fraudful engin’ry of Rome.
1844. R. Chambers, Vest. Creat., Early Hist. Man, 304. A complete social enginery for the securing of life and property.
b. esp. Engines of war, artillery. Chiefly poet. or rhetorical. Also fig.
1641. Milton, Ch. Discip., II. (1851), 54. The impregnable situation of our Liberty and Safety, that laught such weake enginry to scorn. Ibid. (1667), P. L., VI. 553. In hollow Cube Training his devilish Enginrie.
1708. J. Philips, Cyder (1807), 57. The loud disploded roar Of brazen enginry.
1764. Grainger, Sugar-Cane, II. 322. Not all the brazen engineries of man, At once exploded, the wild burst surpass.
1839. Thirlwall, Greece, VI. xlix. 162. His enginery soon made a breach in the wall.
3. The work of an engine, the application of engine-power. Also fig.
1804. Ann. Rev., II. 370. The article … incurs a smaller charge for the wages of enginery.
fig. 1838. Sterling, in Carlyle, Life, II. vii. (1872), 146. A few drawings,—all with the stamp of his [Michael Angelo’s] enginery upon them.
