See also: Motor and motör

English edit

An electric motor.

Etymology edit

From Middle English motour (controller, prime mover; God), from Latin mōtor (mover; that which moves something), from mōtō (I set in motion).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor (plural motors)

  1. A machine or device that converts other energy forms into mechanical energy, or imparts motion.
  2. (colloquial) A motor car, or automobile, even a goods vehicle.
    Nice motor!
    • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “His Own People”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 6:
      It was flood-tide along Fifth Avenue; motor, brougham, and victoria swept by on the glittering current; pretty women glanced out from limousine and tonneau; young men of his own type, silk-hatted, frock-coated, the crooks of their walking sticks tucked up under their left arms, passed on the Park side.
    • 1918, Edith Wharton, chapter I, in The Marne, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 1:
      Every since the age of six Troy Belknap of New York had embarked for Europe every June on the fastest steamer of one of the most expensive lines. With his family he had descended at the dock from a large noiseless motor, had kissed his father good-bye, turned back to shake hands with the chauffeur (a particular friend), and trotted up the gang-plank behind his mother's maid, [...]
    • 1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed[1]:
      'However, you go and try your luck and see how you like it.' With that he flung himself into his motor and was off.
    • 1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter XXII, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, published 1940, page 214:
      The screeching of brakes, the monotonous blare of motor horns, the clip-clip of shoes on slippery pavements, the rustling of wet mackintoshes were all part of the great metropolis.
    • 1944 November and December, T. F. Cameron, “Motor and Cartage Working”, in Railway Magazine, page 338:
      Goods motors for which "A" licences are held are free to operate anywhere, to pick up the most remunerative traffic, and the points between which the best back loads are available.
  3. (figuratively) A source of power for something; an inspiration; a driving force.
  4. Any protein capable of converting chemical energy into mechanical work.
  5. (Christianity, archaic, poetic) The controller or prime mover of the universe; God.
  6. (prison slang) The fermenting mass of fruit that is the basis of pruno, or "prison wine".
    Synonym: kicker

Alternative forms edit

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Descendants edit

Translations edit

Adjective edit

motor (not comparable)

  1. (biology) Relating to the ability to move.
    She has excellent motor skills.
  2. Relating to motor cars.
    Motor insurance is expensive for youngsters.
  3. (nautical) Propelled by an internal combustion engine (as opposed to a steam engine or turbine).
    • 1915 June, “Many Yachts to Go in Commission”, in The American Marine Engineer:
      A motor yacht for its size has about 30 per cent more accommodations than a steamer of the same size.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

Verb edit

motor (third-person singular simple present motors, present participle motoring, simple past and past participle motored)

  1. (dated) To make a journey by motor vehicle; to drive.
    Synonym: moto
    On Saturday we motored down to Plymouth.
    • 1944 November and December, T. F. Cameron, “Motor and Cartage Working”, in Railway Magazine, pages 336–337:
      The practice used to be for such consignments to be loaded as tranships to the large centre, but this involved rather slow transits, and to a considerable extent these consignments are now motored to the large centre, and in the average case the transit is improved by a day.
  2. (transitive, aviation) To rotate a jet engine or turboprop using the engine's starter, without introducing fuel into the engine.
    During startup, the engine should be motored for 20 to 30 seconds to allow the shafts to straighten out, as they may have become bowed under their own weight while the airplane was sitting on the ground.
  3. (informal, figurative) To progress at a brisk pace.
    Sales were slow at first, but now things are really motoring.
    • 2023 November 15, Ian Prosser talks to Stefanie Foster, “A healthy person is a more productive person”, in RAIL, number 996, page 34:
      More recently, ORR has been developing its knowledge and skills in cyber and digital security. Prosser says this is really "motoring".
  4. (slang) To leave.
    I gotta motor.

Translations edit

References edit

Anagrams edit

Afrikaans edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from English motor, compare motor car, from Latin mōtor.[1]

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor (plural motors, diminutive motortjie)

  1. car, automobile
    Synonym: kar
  2. engine, motor

Derived terms edit

References edit

  1. ^ G.J. van Wyk, Etimologiewoordeboek van Afrikaans, 2003, Stellenbosch.

Asturian edit

Noun edit

motor m (plural motores)

  1. engine, motor (mechanical device)

Catalan edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin mōtōrem.

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

motor (feminine motora, masculine plural motors, feminine plural motores) or motor (feminine motriu, masculine plural motors, feminine plural motrius)

  1. motor

Noun edit

motor m (plural motors)

  1. motor

Derived terms edit

Further reading edit

Cebuano edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /moˈtoɾ/, [mɔˈt̪oɾ̪]
  • Hyphenation: mo‧tor

Etymology 1 edit

Borrowed from Spanish motor.

Noun edit

motór

  1. motor; engine

Etymology 2 edit

Noun edit

motór

  1. Clipping of motorsiklo.

Quotations edit

For quotations using this term, see Citations:motor.

Czech edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor m inan

  1. engine, motor

Declension edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Further reading edit

  • motor in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
  • motor in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Danish edit

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /moːtɔr/, [ˈmoːtˢɒ]

Noun edit

motor c (singular definite motoren, plural indefinite motorer)

  1. motor, engine

Inflection edit

Derived terms edit

Dutch edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from English motor, from Latin motor. In the sense “motorbike” motor was originally short for motorrijwiel or motorfiets.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor m (plural motoren or motors, diminutive motortje n)

  1. engine (mechanical device)
  2. motorbike
    Synonyms: motorfiets, motorrijwiel

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Descendants edit

  • Aukan: muntolu
  • Caribbean Hindustani: motar
  • Caribbean Javanese: montor
  • Indonesian: motor
  • Trió: monturu

Hungarian edit

Etymology edit

From English motor or German Motor, from Latin mōtor, mōtō (I set in motion).[1]

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor (plural motorok)

  1. engine, motor (a machine or device that converts other energy forms into mechanical energy, or imparts motion; the part of a car or other vehicle which provides the force for motion)
  2. (figurative) powerhouse (any source of power, energy or strength)
  3. motorbike, motorcycle (an open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel, and having two (or sometimes three) wheels)
    Synonyms: motorbicikli, motorkerékpár

Declension edit

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singularplural
nominativemotormotorok
accusativemotortmotorokat
dativemotornakmotoroknak
instrumentalmotorralmotorokkal
causal-finalmotorértmotorokért
translativemotorrámotorokká
terminativemotorigmotorokig
essive-formalmotorkéntmotorokként
essive-modal
inessivemotorbanmotorokban
superessivemotoronmotorokon
adessivemotornálmotoroknál
illativemotorbamotorokba
sublativemotorramotorokra
allativemotorhozmotorokhoz
elativemotorbólmotorokból
delativemotorrólmotorokról
ablativemotortólmotoroktól
non-attributive
possessive - singular
motorémotoroké
non-attributive
possessive - plural
motoréimotorokéi
Possessive forms of motor
possessorsingle possessionmultiple possessions
1st person sing.motorommotorjaim
2nd person sing.motorodmotorjaid
3rd person sing.motorjamotorjai
1st person pluralmotorunkmotorjaink
2nd person pluralmotorotokmotorjaitok
3rd person pluralmotorjukmotorjaik

Derived terms edit

Compound words

References edit

  1. ^ Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN

Further reading edit

  • motor in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Indonesian edit

Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Dutch motor, from English motor, from Latin motor. In the sense “motorbike” or "motorcycle", motor was originally short for motorrijwiel or motorfiets.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): [ˈmotɔr]
  • Hyphenation: mo‧tor

Noun edit

motor (first-person possessive motorku, second-person possessive motormu, third-person possessive motornya)

  1. engine
    Synonyms: enjin, mesin
  2. (informal) motorcycle
    Synonyms: honda, sepeda motor
  3. (figuratively) important person in organization.

Derived terms edit

  • bermotor
  • memotori
  • motor bodong
  • motor gede
  • motor tempel

Further reading edit

Interlingua edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor (plural motores)

  1. motor

Latin edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

mōtor m (genitive mōtōris); third declension

  1. mover; that which moves something

Declension edit

Third-declension noun.

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativemōtormōtōrēs
Genitivemōtōrismōtōrum
Dativemōtōrīmōtōribus
Accusativemōtōremmōtōrēs
Ablativemōtōremōtōribus
Vocativemōtormōtōrēs

Verb edit

mōtor

  1. first-person singular present passive indicative of mōtō

References edit

  • motor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • motor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Norwegian Bokmål edit

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Noun edit

motor m (definite singular motoren, indefinite plural motorer, definite plural motorene)

  1. engine, motor

Derived terms edit

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor m (definite singular motoren, indefinite plural motorar, definite plural motorane)

  1. engine, motor

Derived terms edit

Polish edit

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin mōtor.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor m inan (diminutive motorek)

  1. (colloquial) motorcycle
    Synonyms: (archaic) autocykl, motocykl
  2. engine
    Synonym: silnik

Declension edit

Derived terms edit

adjective
noun

Further reading edit

  • motor in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • motor in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from French moteur, from Latin mōtōrem.

Pronunciation edit

 
 

Adjective edit

motor (feminine motora, masculine plural motores, feminine plural motoras)

  1. motive

Noun edit

motor m (plural motores)

  1. motor
  2. engine

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from French moteur.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor n (plural motoare)

  1. engine
  2. (colloquial) motorcycle

Declension edit

Related terms edit

References edit

Serbo-Croatian edit

Etymology edit

From Latin motor.

Noun edit

mòtōr m (Cyrillic spelling мо̀то̄р)

  1. engine, motor
  2. (colloquial) motorcycle

Declension edit

Derived terms edit

  • mòtōrnī

Slovene edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

mọ̑tor m inan

  1. engine

Inflection edit

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.
Masculine inan., soft o-stem
nom. sing.mótor
gen. sing.mótorja
singulardualplural
nominative
(imenovȃlnik)
mótormótorjamótorji
genitive
(rodȋlnik)
mótorjamótorjevmótorjev
dative
(dajȃlnik)
mótorjumótorjemamótorjem
accusative
(tožȋlnik)
mótormótorjamótorje
locative
(mẹ̑stnik)
mótorjumótorjihmótorjih
instrumental
(orọ̑dnik)
mótorjemmótorjemamótorji

Spanish edit

Etymology edit

From Latin motor.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /moˈtoɾ/ [moˈt̪oɾ]
  • Audio (Colombia):(file)
  • Rhymes: -oɾ
  • Syllabification: mo‧tor

Adjective edit

motor (feminine motora, masculine plural motores, feminine plural motoras)

  1. moving

Derived terms edit

Noun edit

motor m (plural motores)

  1. motor (mechanical device)
  2. (mechanics) engine
  3. (figuratively) driving force, driver, mover
  4. (figuratively) powerhouse
  5. (computing) backend, back end

Hyponyms edit

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

Further reading edit

Swedish edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor c

  1. engine, motor

Declension edit

Declension of motor 
SingularPlural
IndefiniteDefiniteIndefiniteDefinite
Nominativemotormotornmotorermotorerna
Genitivemotorsmotornsmotorersmotorernas

Derived terms edit

References edit

Anagrams edit

Tagalog edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /moˈtoɾ/, [moˈtoɾ]
  • Hyphenation: mo‧tor

Etymology 1 edit

Borrowed from Spanish motor.

Noun edit

motór (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜓᜆᜓᜇ᜔)

  1. motor; engine
    Synonym: makina
Related terms edit

Etymology 2 edit

Noun edit

motór (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜓᜆᜓᜇ᜔)

  1. Clipping of motorsiklo.

Further reading edit

  • motor”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
  • motor”, in Pinoy Dictionary, 2010–2024

Turkish edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From French moteur m, from Latin mōtor m (mover).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor (definite accusative motoru, plural motorlar)

  1. engine (mechanical device)
  2. (colloquial) a motorcycle

Declension edit

Inflection
Nominativemotor
Definite accusativemotoru
SingularPlural
Nominativemotormotorlar
Definite accusativemotorumotorları
Dativemotoramotorlara
Locativemotordamotorlarda
Ablativemotordanmotorlardan
Genitivemotorunmotorların
Possessive forms
Nominative
SingularPlural
1st singularmotorummotorlarım
2nd singularmotorunmotorların
3rd singularmotorumotorları
1st pluralmotorumuzmotorlarımız
2nd pluralmotorunuzmotorlarınız
3rd pluralmotorlarımotorları
Definite accusative
SingularPlural
1st singularmotorumumotorlarımı
2nd singularmotorunumotorlarını
3rd singularmotorunumotorlarını
1st pluralmotorumuzumotorlarımızı
2nd pluralmotorunuzumotorlarınızı
3rd pluralmotorlarınımotorlarını
Dative
SingularPlural
1st singularmotorumamotorlarıma
2nd singularmotorunamotorlarına
3rd singularmotorunamotorlarına
1st pluralmotorumuzamotorlarımıza
2nd pluralmotorunuzamotorlarınıza
3rd pluralmotorlarınamotorlarına
Locative
SingularPlural
1st singularmotorumdamotorlarımda
2nd singularmotorundamotorlarında
3rd singularmotorundamotorlarında
1st pluralmotorumuzdamotorlarımızda
2nd pluralmotorunuzdamotorlarınızda
3rd pluralmotorlarındamotorlarında
Ablative
SingularPlural
1st singularmotorumdanmotorlarımdan
2nd singularmotorundanmotorlarından
3rd singularmotorundanmotorlarından
1st pluralmotorumuzdanmotorlarımızdan
2nd pluralmotorunuzdanmotorlarınızdan
3rd pluralmotorlarındanmotorlarından
Genitive
SingularPlural
1st singularmotorumunmotorlarımın
2nd singularmotorununmotorlarının
3rd singularmotorununmotorlarının
1st pluralmotorumuzunmotorlarımızın
2nd pluralmotorunuzunmotorlarınızın
3rd pluralmotorlarınınmotorlarının

Derived terms edit

  • motorlu, motörlü (motorized)

Venetian edit

Etymology edit

Compare Italian motore

Noun edit

motor m (plural motori) or motor m (plural moturi)

  1. motor, engine

West Makian edit

Etymology edit

Possibly a shortening of Dutch motorboot (motorboat).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

motor

  1. motorboat

References edit

  • Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours[2], Pacific linguistics