See also: Motive and motivé

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English motif, from Anglo-Norman motif, Middle French motif, and their source, Late Latin motivum (motive, moving cause), neuter of motivus.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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motive (plural motives)

  1. (obsolete) An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting. [14th–17th c.]
    • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: [], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: [] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition III, section 2, member 1, subsection ii:
      there's something in a woman beyond all human delight; a magnetic virtue, a charming quality, an occult and powerful motive.
  2. 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. [from 15th c.]
    Synonym: motivation
  3. (obsolete, rare) A limb or other bodily organ that can move. [15th–17th c.]
  4. (law) Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour. [from 18th c.]
    What would his motive be for burning down the cottage?
    No-one could understand why she had hidden the shovel; her motives were obscure at best.
    • 1931, Francis Beeding, “10/6”, in Death Walks in Eastrepps:
      “Why should Eldridge commit murder? [] There was only one possible motive—namely, he wished to avoid detection as James Selby of Anaconda Ltd. […]”
  5. (architecture, fine arts, music) Alternative form of motif
    If you listen carefully, you can hear the flutes mimicking the cello motive.

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

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motive (third-person singular simple present motives, present participle motiving, simple past and past participle motived)

  1. (transitive) To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.
    Synonym: motivate

Translations

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Adjective

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motive (not comparable)

  1. Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move
    Synonym: moving
    a motive argument
    motive power
    • 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus, Folio Society, published 2007, page 195:
      In the motive parts of animals may be discovered mutuall proportions; not only in those of Quadrupeds, but in the thigh-bone, legge, foot-bone, and claws of Birds.
  2. Relating to motion and/or to its cause
    Synonym: motional
    • 1929, Arthur Lourié, “An Inquiry into Melody”, in Modern Music, volume VII, number 1, page 10:
      Debussy's melody is fractional, fragmentary. But at the core all his music is melodic and melody is its main motive force.

Translations

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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French

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Verb

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motive

  1. inflection of motiver:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Latin

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Adjective

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mōtīve

  1. vocative masculine singular of mōtīvus

Portuguese

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Verb

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motive

  1. inflection of motivar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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motive

  1. plural of motiv

Serbo-Croatian

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Noun

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motive (Cyrillic spelling мотиве)

  1. accusative plural of motiv
  2. vocative singular of motiv

Spanish

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /moˈtibe/ [moˈt̪i.β̞e]
  • Rhymes: -ibe
  • Syllabification: mo‧ti‧ve

Verb

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motive

  1. inflection of motivar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Turkish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French motivé, past participle of motiver.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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motive

  1. motivated

Declension

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Derived terms

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