tinker

Etymology

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

noun

1. An itinerant tinsmith and mender of household utensils made of metal.
2. (dated, chiefly Britain and Ireland, offensive) A member of the Irish Traveller community or of other itinerant groups. A gypsy.
3. (usually with "little") A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster.
4. Someone who repairs, or attempts repair, on anything mechanical, or who invents such devices; one who tinkers; a tinkerer.
5. The act of repair or invention.
6. (military, obsolete) A hand mortar.
7. Any of various fish: chub mackerel, silverside, skate, or young mackerel about two years old.
8. A bird, the razor-billed auk.

verb

1. (intransitive) To work as a tinker.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To fiddle with something in an attempt to fix, mend or improve it, especially in an experimental or unskilled manner.
   the broken bureau-lock and tinkered window-pane 1894, Thomas Hardy, A Few Crusted Characters
   As in much of biology, the most satisfying truths in ecology derive from manipulative experimentation. Tinker with nature and quantify how it responds. 2012-01, Robert M. Pringle, “How to Be Manipulative”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 2013-10-03, page 31
   And because he wants to show that he is a dominant male, he tinkered the engine of his motorbike to make it even noisier. 2013, Eric Goulard, Body Language Secrets Revealed
   We're not just talking about changes that tinker around the edges - we're looking to take advantage of some of the world's latest digital and tech developments to improve our service. May 20 2020, “Network News: LNER seeks innovation through FutureLabs project”, in Rail, page 14