# motive
## English
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈməʊtɪv/
* (General American) IPA: /ˈmoʊtɪv/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: (Received Pronunciation) -əʊtɪv, (General American) -oʊtɪv

### Noun

motive (plural motives)
* (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.
* 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
** 1947, Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock:Many of them at first seemed kind to him, but it turned out their motives were not entirely altruistic.
** 2007, Joe Biden, Promises to Keep‎, New York: Random House, published 2008, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 110:“Your job here is to find the good things in your colleagues—the things their state saw—and not focus on the bad.” I said I understand. “And, Joe, never attack another man’s motive, because you don’t know his motive.”
* (obsolete, rare) A limb or other bodily organ that can move. [15th–17th c.]
** c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:every joint and motive of her body
* (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. […]”
* (architecture, fine arts, music) Alternative form of motif
    If you listen carefully, you can hear the flutes mimicking the cello motive.

#### Derived terms

* appeal to motive
* by-motive
* leading motive
* motiveless
* motive power
* motive power depot
* profit motive
* ulterior motive

#### Translations

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

### Verb

motive (third-person singular simple present motives, present participle motiving, simple past and past participle motived)
* (transitive) To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.
    Synonym: motivate

#### Translations
### Adjective

motive (not comparable)
* Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move
    Synonyms: moving; see also Thesaurus:movable
    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.
* Relating to motion and/or to its cause
    Synonyms: kinetic, 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
### Further reading

* “motive”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
* “motive”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
* “motive”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

### Anagrams

* evomit, move it

## French
### Verb

motive
* inflection of motiver:
** first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
** second-person singular imperative

## Latin
### Adjective

mōtīve
* vocative masculine singular of mōtīvus

## Portuguese
### Verb

motive
* inflection of motivar:
** first/third-person singular present subjunctive
** third-person singular imperative

## Romanian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [moˈtive]

### Noun

motive
* plural of motiv

## Serbo-Croatian
### Noun

motive (Cyrillic spelling мотиве)
* accusative plural of motiv
* vocative singular of motiv

## Spanish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /moˈtibe/ [moˈt̪i.β̞e]
* Rhymes: -ibe
* Syllabification: mo‧ti‧ve

### Verb

motive
* inflection of motivar:
** first/third-person singular present subjunctive
** third-person singular imperative

## Turkish
### Etymology

Borrowed from French motivé, past participle of motiver.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mo.tiˈve/

### Adjective

motive
* motivated

#### Derived terms

* motive etmek (“to motivate”)
* motive olmak (“to be motivated”)