Slightly off-topic...but since it's already been discussed here...
The term "engine" was in use long before internal combustion. Catapults and other such war machines were often called "siege engines". "Engine" usually describes a mechanical device that converts one type of energy into another.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_engine
I don't think history is on the side of anyone who argues that there's no interchangeability between "engine" and "motor" when speaking of the automotive or related industries. Henry Ford didn't have any electric-powered Model Ts, but he appropriately named his company the Ford
Motor Company. Cadillac is (or at least was) officially the Cadillac
Motor Car Division of General
Motors. 4-wheeled horseless carriages were originally often referred to as
motorcars, despite not being powered by electricity (and they were driven on
motorways...and still are depending on your local dialect). Today, we all drive
motorized vehicles, and most of them are fueled by gasoline.
We also have:
Toyota
Motor Corporation
Honda
Motor Company, Ltd.
Bavarian
Motor Works (BMW)
Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars
Tata
Motors (owns Jag, among others)
Maxwell
Motor Company (forerunner of Chrysler)
We talk about
motor oil, but never dump any into an electric motor. You don't buy an outboard engine for your boat -- you buy an outboard
motor...and fill it with gas!
I don't think anyone used/uses these terms out of ignorance, or did/does so to "dumb it down" for the masses. In fact, I believe we, today, make much more out of this than there really is.