motive
UK /ˈməʊtɪv/ · US /ˈmoʊtɪv/ noun, verb, adjective
Forms motives motiving motived
- noun (obsolete) An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting.
- noun An incentive to act in a particular way; a reason or emotion that makes one want to do something; anything that prompts a choice of action.
- noun (law) Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour. “What would his motive be for burning down the cottage?”
- noun (obsolete, rare) A limb or other bodily organ that can move.
- noun (UK) A party, gathering, or get-together.
- noun (UK) One's plans for the day or night. “What's the motive for tonight, lads?”
- verb (transitive) To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.
- adjective Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move “a motive argument”
- adjective Relating to motion and/or to its cause
Synonyms
motivation sake motivate moving ambulatory animate kinetic mobile motile movable vagile motional need motif motor motivative motivating
Etymology
From Middle English motif, from Anglo-Norman motif, Middle French motif, and their source, Late Latin motivum (“motive, moving cause”), neuter of motivus.
Webster’s 1913
- noun That which moves; a mover. [Obs.] Shak.
- noun That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object.
- adjective 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.
- verb To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.
Etymology [F. motif, LL. motivum, from motivus moving, fr. L. movere, motum, to move. See Move.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “motive”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details