search engine
    n 1: a computer program that retrieves documents or files or
         data from a database or from a computer network (especially
         from the internet)

search engine

    A remotely
   accessible program that lets you do keyword searches for
   information on the Internet.  There are several types of
   search engine; the search may cover titles of documents,
   URLs, headers, or the full text.

   <A list of search engines>, Centre
   Universitaire d'Informatique at the University of Geneva

   (1995-11-28)