Hydraulians

Hydraulians is a term with multiple potential meanings, depending on the context. In real-world engineering usage, it is not a standard professional designation, but some texts employ the word to refer informally to people who work with hydraulic systems or to practitioners of hydraulics in a broad sense.

In engineering contexts, hydraulians would be professionals who design, analyze, and maintain systems that transmit power through pressurized fluids. They work with components such as pumps, valves, actuators, and reservoirs, and their work involves fluid dynamics, control systems, energy efficiency, leak prevention, safety, and adherence to industry standards. The field overlaps with mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as with systems integration and reliability engineering.

In fiction and world-building, hydraulians are often depicted as a group, faction, or civilization whose technology or magic centers on hydraulic power, water management, or water-based energy systems. They may appear as engineers, priests, or rulers associated with infrastructure, resource control, or specialized powers derived from fluids.

Etymology and usage: the term hydr- derives from Greek hydro, meaning water, combined with a suffix that denotes belonging or occupation, yielding hydraulian as a descriptor for related practitioners or attributes.

See also: hydraulics, fluid power, hydrostatics, hydraulic engineering.