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Dictionary / motive

motive

/ˈməʊtɪv/ (Received-Pronunciation)/ˈmoʊtɪv/ (General-American)
  • noun
  • verb
  • adjective
  • from Anglo-Norman

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.

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1 All current definitions

Every sense of “motive” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

noun

  1. 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.

    Many of them at first seemed kind to him, but it turned out their motives were not entirely altruistic.1947, Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock:

  2. 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?

  3. UKA party, gathering, or get-together.
  4. UKOne's plans for the day or night.

    What's the motive for tonight, lads?

Older & obsolete senses (2)
  1. obsoleteAn idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting.
  2. obsoleterareA limb or other bodily organ that can move.
Wiktionary: “motive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

verb

  1. transitiveTo prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.
Wiktionary: “motive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

adjective

  1. not comparableCausing motion; having power to move, or tending to move

    a motive argument

  2. not comparableRelating to motion and/or to its cause

    Debussy's melody is fractional, fragmentary. But at the core all his music is melodic and melody is its main motive force.1929, Arthur Lourié, “An Inquiry into Melody”, in Modern Music, volume VII, number 1, page 10:

Wiktionary: “motive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (5)
  1. nounthe psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior — also: motivation, need
  2. nouna theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music — also: motif
  3. nouna design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration — also: motif
  4. adjectivecausing or able to cause motion — also: motor
  5. adjectiveimpelling to action; - Arthur Pap — also: motivative, motivating
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)motive
  2. Middle Englishmotif
  3. Anglo-Normanmotif

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

Wiktionary: “motive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “motive”

by-motivemotivelessmotivologysubmotiveunmotivedautomotivecytomotiveelectromotivemagnetomotivemotivenessmotivitynonmotivepedomotiveprotonmotivevasomotive

Phrases & compounds

appeal to motiveleading motivemotive powermotive power depotprofit motiveulterior motive
Wiktionary: “motive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “motive” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “motive” came from before it was English.

Came into English from
Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman motif
Wiktionary: “motive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “motive”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

motive n. [F. motif, LL. motivum, from motivus moving, fr. L. movere, motum, to move. See Move.]

  1. That which moves; a mover.
  2. That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object; motivation{2}.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

motive a.

  1. Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power.

motive v. t.

  1. To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

nounMeaning: 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.

Many of them at first seemed kind to him, but it turned out their motives were not entirely altruistic.1947, Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock:

“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.”2007, Joe Biden, Promises to Keep, New York: Random House, published 2008, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 110:

nounMeaning: 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?

No-one could understand why she had hidden the shovel; her motives were obscure at best.

nounMeaning: One's plans for the day or night.

What's the motive for tonight, lads?

adjectiveMeaning: Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move

a motive argument

motive power

adjectiveMeaning: Relating to motion and/or to its cause

Debussy's melody is fractional, fragmentary. But at the core all his music is melodic and melody is its main motive force.1929, Arthur Lourié, “An Inquiry into Melody”, in Modern Music, volume VII, number 1, page 10:

nounMeaning: the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior

he acted with the best of motives

adjectiveMeaning: causing or able to cause motion

a motive force

motive power

adjectiveMeaning: impelling to action; - Arthur Pap

motive pleas

Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License
Wiktionary: “motive” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 9

Say it, then spell it

motive

/ˈməʊtɪv/

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

motive

/ˈməʊtɪv/ · noun, verb, adjective

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “motive” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (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.
2. (noun) Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour.
3. (noun) A party, gathering, or get-together.
4. (noun) One's plans for the day or night.
5. (verb) To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“What would his motive be for burning down the cottage?”

A. Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour.
B. One's plans for the day or night.
C. Relating to motion and/or to its cause

Circle the meaning used.

“What's the motive for tonight, lads?”

A. One's plans for the day or night.
B. 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.
C. Relating to motion and/or to its cause

Circle the meaning used.

“a motive argument”

A. A party, gathering, or get-together.
B. 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.
C. Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “motive” come into English from?   A. Middle French  B. Anglo-Norman  C. Middle Dutch  D. Old French

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “motive” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “motive” to mean: 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.
Write a sentence using “motive” to mean: Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour.
Write a sentence using “motive” to mean: A party, gathering, or get-together.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — motive

Which meaning, sentence 1: A. Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour.

Which meaning, sentence 2: A. One's plans for the day or night.

Which meaning, sentence 3: C. Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move

Origin: B. Anglo-Norman (Anglo-Norman motif)

Journey: English motive ← Middle English motif ← Anglo-Norman motif

Some derivatives: by-motive, motiveless, motivology, submotive, unmotived, automotive, cytomotive, electromotive

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

Sources: Wiktionary “motive” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/motive#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/motive