tinker

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To make small adjustments to something, often without a clear plan, to try to fix or improve it.

   He spent the afternoon tinkering with the engine of his old car.

2. 2
   noun

   A person who enjoys experimenting with and repairing machines.

   She was a natural tinker who could take apart any gadget and put it back together.

3. 3
   noun

   A traveling person who once mended pots, pans, and other metal household items for a living.

   In the old days, a tinker would come through the village to repair worn-out kettles.

From Middle English tynkere, perhaps from Old English *tincere, from tin (“tin”) + *cere, as in bēocere (“beekeeper”).

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