motive

See also: Motive and motivé

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^(key): /ˈməʊtɪv/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmoʊtɪv/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: (Received Pronunciation) -əʊtɪv, (General American) -oʊtɪv

Noun

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: Printed by 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

   • 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^[1], 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.”

3. (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

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) A motif. [from 19th c.]
6. (music) A motif; a theme or subject, especially one that is central to the work or often repeated. [from 19th c.]

   If you listen carefully, you can hear the flutes mimicking the cello motive.

Synonyms

• (creative works) motif

Derived terms

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

 

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mew-‎ (0 c, 56 e)

Translations

a cause to commit a crime

• Albanian: motiv (sq) m
• Arabic: حَافِز m (ḥāfiz)
• Belarusian: маты́ў m (matýŭ)
• Bulgarian: моти́в (bg) m (motív)
• Catalan: motiu (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 動機／动机 (zh) (dòngjī)

• Czech: motiv (cs) m, pohnutka (cs) f
• Danish: bevæggrund c, motiv (da) n
• Dutch: motief (nl) n, beweegreden (nl) f, motivatie (nl)
• Finnish: vaikutin (fi), motiivi (fi)
• French: motif (fr) m, mobile (fr) m
• German: Motiv (de) n, Beweggrund (de) m
• Hebrew: מניע m (menía)
• Hungarian: indíték (hu)
• Ido: motivo (io)
• Irish: réasún m
• Italian: motivo (it) m
• Japanese: 動機 (ja) (どうき, dōki)
• Korean: 동기(動機) (ko) (donggi)
• Ladino: sebeb, sebep
• Latin: ratio (la)
• Macedonian: мотив m (motiv)
• Occitan: motiu (oc) m
• Persian: انگیزه (fa) (angize)
• Plautdietsch: Drief m
• Polish: motyw (pl) m
• Portuguese: motivo (pt) m
• Romanian: motiv (ro) n, rațiune (ro) f
• Russian: моти́в (ru) m (motív), по́вод (ru) m (póvod)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мо̀тӣв f

  Roman: mòtīv (sh) f

• Slovak: motív m
• Slovene: motiv (sl) m
• Spanish: motivo (es) m, móbil m
• Swedish: motiv (sv) c
• Thai: แรงจูงใจ (th) (rɛɛng-juung-jai)
• Tocharian B: ṣarm
• Ukrainian: моти́в m (motýv)
• Vietnamese: động cơ (vi) (動機)

music: theme or subject

• Belarusian: маты́ў m (matýŭ)
• Bulgarian: моти́в (bg) m (motív)
• Danish: motiv (da) n
• Dutch: motief (nl) n, onderwerp (nl) f
• Finnish: aihe (fi)
• French: thème (fr) m, motif (fr) m
• Hebrew: מוֹטִיב (he) m (motív)
• Ido: motivo (io)
• Polish: motyw (pl) m, temat (pl) m
• Romanian: motiv (ro) n
• Russian: моти́в (ru) m (motív)
• Slovak: motív m
• Spanish: motivo (es) m
• Ukrainian: моти́в m (motýv)

arts: motif

• Catalan: motiu (ca) m
• Danish: motiv (da) n
• Dutch: motief (nl) n
• Finnish: aihe (fi), motiivi (fi)
• French: motif (fr) m
• Ido: motivo (io)
• Polish: motyw (pl) m
• Russian: моти́в (ru) m (motív)
• Turkish: motif (tr)

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

Translations to be checked

• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} motiiv
• German: ^{(please verify)} Motiv (de) n
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} motivo (it) m
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 理由 (ja) (りゆう, riyū)
• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} motiv (no) n
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} motiv (ro) n
• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} motív m
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} nagib m
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} motivo (es) m
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} motiv (sv) n
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} neden (tr), ^{(please verify)} sebep (tr), ^{(please verify)} dürtü (tr)

Verb

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

to prompt or incite

• Bulgarian: мотивирам (bg) (motiviram)
• Dutch: motiveren (nl), ^{(please verify)} aanzetten tot (nl)
• Finnish: motivoida (fi)
• French: motiver (fr)
• Ido: motivizar (io)

Adjective

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

causing motion

• Belarusian: ру́хаючы (rúxajučy)
• Bulgarian: движещ (bg) (dvižešt)
• Czech: hybný
• Dutch: bewegend (nl)
• Finnish: liike-, liikkeellepaneva, liikunta-
• French: moteur (fr)
• Georgian: მამოძრავებელი (mamoʒravebeli)
• Russian: дви́жущий (ru) (dvížuščij)
• Ukrainian: руші́йний (rušíjnyj)

Relating to motion and/or to its cause

• Bulgarian: двигателен (dvigatelen)
• Dutch: bewegings- (nl), motioneel
• Finnish: liike-, liikkeellepaneva, liikunta-
• French: mobile (fr) m or f, mouvant (fr)

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

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

Latin

Adjective

mōtīve

1. vocative masculine singular of mōtīvus

Portuguese

Verb

motive

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

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [moˈtive]

Noun

motive

1. plural of motiv

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

motive (Cyrillic spelling мотиве)

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

Spanish

Pronunciation

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

Verb

motive

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

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from French motivé, past participle of motiver.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mo.tiˈve/

Adjective

motive

1. motivated

Declension

predicative forms of motive

present tense
	positive, declarative	positive, interrogative	negative, declarative	negative, interrogative
ben (I am)	motiveyim	motive miyim?	motive değilim	motive değil miyim?
sen (you are)	motivesin	motive misin?	motive değilsin	motive değil misin?
o (he/she/it is)	motive / motivedir	motive mi?	motive değil	motive değil mi?
biz (we are)	motiveyiz	motive miyiz?	motive değiliz	motive değil miyiz?
siz (you are)	motivesiniz	motive misiniz?	motive değilsiniz	motive değil misiniz?
onlar (they are)	motive(ler)	motive(ler) mi?	motive değil(ler)	motive değiller mi?
past tense
	positive, declarative	positive, interrogative	negative, declarative	negative, interrogative
ben (I was)	motiveydim	motive miydim?	motive değildim	motive değil miydim?
sen (you were)	motiveydin	motive miydin?	motive değildin	motive değil miydin?
o (he/she/it was)	motiveydi	motive miydi?	motive değildi	motive değil miydi?
biz (we were)	motiveydik	motive miydik?	motive değildik	motive değil miydik?
siz (you were)	motiveydiniz	motive miydiniz?	motive değildiniz	motive değil miydiniz?
onlar (they were)	motiveydiler	motive miydiler?	motive değildi(ler) / değillerdi	motive değil miydiler?
indirect past
	positive, declarative	positive, interrogative	negative, declarative	negative, interrogative
ben (I was)	motiveymişim	motive miymişim?	motive değilmişim	motive değil miymişim?
sen (you were)	motiveymişsin	motive miymişsin?	motive değilmişsin	motive değil miymişsin?
o (he/she/it was)	motiveymiş	motive miymiş?	motive değilmiş	motive değil miymiş?
biz (we were)	motiveymişiz	motive miymişiz?	motive değilmişiz	motive değil miymişiz?
siz (you were)	motiveymişsiniz	motive miymişsiniz?	motive değilmişsiniz	motive değil miymişsiniz?
onlar (they were)	motiveymişler	motive miymişler?	motive değilmiş(ler) / değillermiş	motive değil miymişler?
conditional
	positive, declarative	positive, interrogative	negative, declarative	negative, interrogative
ben (if I)	motiveysem	motive miysem?	motive değilsem	motive değil miysem?
sen (if you)	motiveysen	motive miysen?	motive değilsen	motive değil miysen?
o (if he/she/it)	motiveyse	motive miyse?	motive değilse	motive değil miyse?
biz (if we)	motiveysek	motive miysek?	motive değilsek	motive değil miysek?
siz (if you)	motiveyseniz	motive miyseniz?	motive değilseniz	motive değil miyseniz?
onlar (if they)	motiveyseler	motive miyseler?	motive değilseler / değillerse	motive değil miyseler?

Derived terms

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