Home › Words › M › machinistmachinist/məˈʃiː.nɪst/machinist means A constructor of machines and engines; someone knowledgeable about machines.machinist is pronounced /məˈʃiː.nɪst/.EtymologyFrom French machiniste, from machine (“machine, mechanical device”), from Latin māchina, from Ancient Greek μηχανή (mēkhanḗ, “machine”).nounA constructor of machines and engines; someone knowledgeable about machines.A person skilled in the use of machine tools for fashioning metal parts or tools out of metal.A person who operates machinery.A person employed to shift scenery in a theater.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).