Meanings
nounsiege engine (plural siege engines)
plural siege engines · alternative siege-engine
- historicalengineeringA large weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.; specifically, a trebuchet or other type of catapult.
The cavalry were on the wings and the siege-engines, mangonels and catapults, planted on sand-dunes.
1934, Robert Graves, chapter XXXII, in I, Claudius: […], New York, N.Y.: The Modern Library, →OCLC, page 4011 more example
Opposite this hill Bohemund's men now began to dig in a definite direction. For the besiegers had devised this new mischief against the city and invented a new knavish siege-engine to apply to the town. For as they dug, they went along under the ground like moles boring holes in the soil and in places protecting themselves by sheds with high roofs against the stones and arrows which were thrown from above, and in others propping up the earth above them with poles, and thus they went on in a straight line.
1928, Anna Comnena [i.e., Anna Komnene], “Book XIII”, in Elizabeth A[nna] S[ophia] Dawes, transl., The Alexiad (Byzantine Series), Cambridge, Ont.: In Parentheses Publications, published 2000, page 233Synonyms: military engine, siege weapon
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA large weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.; specifically, a trebuchet or other type of catapult.
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Also see
Origin
PIE word *h₁én From siege + engine (“large construction used in warfare”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُعِدَّات حِصَار
- مُعِدَّات حِصَار (muʕiddāt ḥiṣār)large weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Catalan maquinària de setge
- maquinària de setgelarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Chinese Mandarin 攻城武器
- 攻城武器 (gōngchéngwǔqì)large weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Danish kastemaskine, belejringsvåben
- kastemaskinelarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
- belejringsvåbenlarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Dutch belegeringswapen, belegeringswerk
- belegeringswapenlarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
- belegeringswerklarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Esperanto sieĝarmo
- sieĝarmolarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Estonian piiramismasin
- piiramismasinlarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Finnish piirityskone
- piirityskonelarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
French engin de siège, arme de siège
- engin de siègelarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
- arme de siègelarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
- machine de siègelarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
German Belagerungsgerät, Belagerungsmaschine
- Belagerungsgerätlarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
- Belagerungsmaschinelarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Greek πολιορκητική μηχανή
- πολιορκητική μηχανή (poliorkitikí michaní)large weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Hebrew טקטיקת מצור
- טקטיקת מצורlarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Hungarian ostromgép
- ostromgéplarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Indonesian mesin kepung
- mesin kepunglarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Italian arma d'assedio, macchina d'assedio
- arma d'assediolarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
- macchina d'assediolarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Japanese 攻城兵器
- 攻城兵器 (kōjōheiki)large weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Latin machina bellica
- machina bellicalarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Norwegian Bokmål beleiringsmaskiner
- beleiringsmaskinerlarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Persian ادوات محاصره
- ادوات محاصرهlarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Polish machina oblężnicza
- machina oblężniczalarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Portuguese arma de assédio, arma de cerco
- arma de assédiolarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
- arma de cercolarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Romanian mașină de asediu
- mașină de asediularge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Russian оса́дное ору́дие
- оса́дное ору́дие (osádnoje orúdije)large weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Slovak obliehací stroj
- obliehací strojlarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Spanish arma de asedio
- arma de asediolarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Swedish belägringsmaskin
- belägringsmaskinlarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Turkish kuşatma makinesi
- kuşatma makinesilarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Ukrainian облогові машини
- облогові машини (oblohovi mašyny)large weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Vietnamese vũ khí công thành
- vũ khí công thànhlarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Welsh magnel
- magnellarge weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.
Cite this entry
APA
siege engine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/siege%20engine
MLA
“siege engine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/siege%20engine. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “siege engine,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/siege%20engine.
Source: siege engine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.