Complete Definition of "motive"

see|Motive
wikipedia|dab=motive
English

Etymology
L. motivus

Pronunciation
audio|en-us-motive.ogg|Audio (US)

Noun
en-noun

  1. That which moves; a mover.
  2. That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choice, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object.

#::When some kid sloppily wrote in the east restroom, "Mr. Angrano�s too harsh; he needs to be fired!" with permanent marker, it had to be Quentin. Even though all students� handwriting samples didn�t match, we have a solid motive. You see, Quentin says he hates him a lot, and Mr. Angrano has been writing him up this past nine weeks, more than all of his other students. It�s the motive that incited Quentin to vandalize the restroom with his personal attack. First thing tomorrow morning, I will call Quentin into the office and ask him to write the Alphabet with his right hand, as well as the incomplete phrase, "Mr. Angrano is." He�s a lefty if anyone was wondering.

  1. The theme or subject; a leading phrase or passage which is reproduced and varied through the course of a movement; a short figure, or melodic germ, out of which a whole movement is developed. See also Leading motive, under Leading.
  2. 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.

Translations
rfc-trans

Chinese: �� (dòngjí)
Croatian: t-|hr|motiv|m
Czech: motiv m
Danish: motiv n, bevæggrund n
Dutch: beweegreden f
Finnish: motiivi (2)
Estonian: motiiv
French: motif m
German: Motiv n
Hungarian: mozgató
Italian: motivo m
mid
Japanese: �� (���, riyū)
Norwegian: motiv n
Romanian: motiv n
Russian: движ��ий (dvížuš�ij) m, повод (póvod) m, мо�ив (motív) m
Slovak: motív m
Slovene: nagib m
Spanish: motivo m
Swedish: motiv n
Turkish: neden, sebep, dürtü

trans-top|That which incites to action
Arabic: Arab|حا�ز IPAchar|(ħ�fez) m
Chinese: �� (dòngjí)
Dutch: motief n
Finnish: vaikutin
French: motif m
German: Motiv n
Hungarian: alapok, hajtóer�
trans-mid
Italian: motivo m
Japanese: �� (���, d�ki)
Korean: �기 (donggi)
Portuguese: motivo m
Russian: мо�ив (motív) m
Spanish: motivo m
Swedish: motiv c
trans-bottom

Verb
en-verb|motives|motiving|motived

  1. To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

Synonyms
motivate

Adjective
en-adj|-

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

#*1658: 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. � Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus (Folio Society 2007, p. 195)


Croatian

Noun
motive m|p

  1. accusative plural of|motiv|lang=Croatian

Romanian

Pronunciation
IPA|/mo'ti.ve/

Noun
ro-pl|motiv|gend=n

  1. motives

fr:motive
ko:motive
io:motive
id:motive
it:motive
hu:motive
pl:motive
ru:motive
simple:motive
fi:motive
te:motive
vi:motive
tr:motive
zh:motive

Revision and Credits for"motive"
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