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- 10 dictionary resultsmo⋅tive
[moh-tiv] 
noun, adjective, verb, -tived, -tiv⋅ing.–noun
| 1. | something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing, etc.; incentive. |
| 2. | the goal or object of a person's actions: Her motive was revenge. |
| 3. | (in art, literature, and music) a motif. |
–adjective
| 4. | causing, or tending to cause, motion. |
| 5. | pertaining to motion. |
| 6. | prompting to action. |
| 7. | constituting a motive or motives. |
–verb (used with object)
| 8. | to motivate. |
Origin:
1325–75; (adj.) ME (< MF motif) < ML mōtīvus serving to move, equiv. to L mōt(us) (ptp. of movēre to move ) + -īvus -ive; (n.) ME (< MF motif) < ML mōtīvum, n. use of neut. of mōtīvus
1325–75; (adj.) ME (< MF motif) < ML mōtīvus serving to move, equiv. to L mōt(us) (ptp. of movēre to move ) + -īvus -ive; (n.) ME (< MF motif) < ML mōtīvum, n. use of neut. of mōtīvus
Related forms:
mo⋅tive⋅less, adjective
mo⋅tive⋅less⋅ly, adverb
mo⋅tive⋅less⋅ness, noun
Synonyms:
1. motivation, incitement, stimulus, spur; influence, occasion, ground, cause. Motive, incentive, inducement apply to whatever moves one to action. Motive is, literally, something that moves a person; an inducement, something that leads a person on; an incentive, something that inspires a person. Motive is applied mainly to an inner urge that moves or prompts a person to action, though it may also apply to a contemplated result, the desire for which moves the person: His motive was a wish to be helpful. Inducement is never applied to an inner urge, and seldom to a goal: The pleasure of wielding authority may be an inducement to get ahead. It is used mainly of opportunities offered by the acceptance of certain conditions, whether these are offered by a second person or by the factors of the situation: The salary offered me was a great inducement. Incentive was once used of anything inspiring or stimulating the emotions or imagination: incentives to piety; it has retained of this its emotional connotations, but (rather like inducement) is today applied only to something offered as a reward, and offered particularly to stimulate competitive activity: to create incentives for higher achievement. 2. See reason.
1. motivation, incitement, stimulus, spur; influence, occasion, ground, cause. Motive, incentive, inducement apply to whatever moves one to action. Motive is, literally, something that moves a person; an inducement, something that leads a person on; an incentive, something that inspires a person. Motive is applied mainly to an inner urge that moves or prompts a person to action, though it may also apply to a contemplated result, the desire for which moves the person: His motive was a wish to be helpful. Inducement is never applied to an inner urge, and seldom to a goal: The pleasure of wielding authority may be an inducement to get ahead. It is used mainly of opportunities offered by the acceptance of certain conditions, whether these are offered by a second person or by the factors of the situation: The salary offered me was a great inducement. Incentive was once used of anything inspiring or stimulating the emotions or imagination: incentives to piety; it has retained of this its emotional connotations, but (rather like inducement) is today applied only to something offered as a reward, and offered particularly to stimulate competitive activity: to create incentives for higher achievement. 2. See reason.
-motive
| a combining form of motive: automotive. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To motive
| mo·tive (mō'tĭv) n.
To motivate. [Middle English motif, motive, from Old French motif, from Late Latin mōtīvus, of motion, from Latin mōtus, past participle of movēre, to move; see meuə- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Motive
Mo"tive\, n. [F. motif, LL. motivum, from motivus moving, fr. L. movere, motum, to move. See Move.]1. That which moves; a mover. [Obs.] --Shak. 2. That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object. By motive, I mean the whole of that which moves, excites, or invites the mind to volition, whether that be one thing singly, or many things conjunctively. --J. Edwards. 3. (Mus.) The theme or subject; a leading phrase or passage which is reproduced and varied through the course of a comor a movement; a short figure, or melodic germ, out of which a whole movement is develpoed. See also Leading motive, under Leading. [Written also motivo.] 4. (Fine Arts) That which produces conception, invention, or creation in the mind of the artist in undertaking his subject; the guiding or controlling idea manifested in a work of art, or any part of one. Syn: Incentive; incitement; inducement; reason; spur; stimulus; cause. Usage: Motive, Inducement, Reason. Motive is the word originally used in speaking of that which determines the choice. We call it an inducement when it is attractive in its nature. We call it a reason when it is more immediately addressed to the intellect in the form of argument.Motive
Mo"tive\, a. Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power. "Motive faculty." --Bp. Wilkins. Motive power (Mach.), a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover.Motive
Mo"tive\, v. t. To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : motive
Spanish:
motivo,
German:
das Motiv,
Japanese:
動機
motive
1362, "something brought forward," from O.Fr. motif (n.), from motif (fem. motive), adj., "moving," from M.L. motivus "moving, impelling," from L. motus, pp. of movere "to move" (see move). Meaning "that which inwardly moves a person to behave a certain way" is from c.1412.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: mo·tive
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French motif, from Middle French motif adjective, moving, from Medieval Latin motivus, from Latin motus, past participle of movEre to move
: something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act
NOTE: In criminal law, motive is distinguished from intent or mens rea. Although motive is not an element of a crime, evidence regarding motives can be introduced to help establish intent. In contract law, motive is usually distinguished from cause or consideration.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Main Entry: mo·tive
Pronunciation: 'mOt-iv
Function: noun
: something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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motive mo·tive (mō'tĭv)
n.
An emotion, desire, physiological need, or similar impulse that acts as an incitement to action. Also called learned drive. adj.
Causing or able to cause motion.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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