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motivate

- 5 dictionary results

mo⋅ti⋅vate

[moh-tuh-veyt]
–verb (used with object), -vat⋅ed, -vat⋅ing.
to provide with a motive or motives; incite; impel.

Origin:
1860–65; motive + -ate 1


mo⋅ti⋅va⋅tor, noun


induce, move, provoke, prompt, cause.
mo·ti·vate   (mō'tə-vāt')   
tr.v.   mo·ti·vat·ed, mo·ti·vat·ing, mo·ti·vates
To provide with an incentive; move to action; impel.
mo'ti·va'tor n.

Motivate

Mo"ti*vate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. -vated; p. pr. & vb. n. -vating.] [From Motive, n.] To provide with a motive; to move; impel; induce; incite. -- Mo`ti*va"tion, n. --William James.
Language Translation for : motivate
Spanish: motivar,
German: anregen,
Japanese: 動機づける

motivate 
1885, "to stimulate toward action," from motive (q.v.), perhaps modeled on Fr. motiver or Ger. motivieren. Motivation first recorded 1873; the psychological sense of "inner or social stimulus for an action" is from 1904.

Main Entry: mo·ti·vate
Pronunciation: 'mOt-&-"vAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -vat·ed; -vat·ing
: to provide with a motive or serve as a motive for —mo·ti·va·tive /-"vAt-iv/ adjective
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