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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: 动机 (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: ç†ç”± (りゆã†, riyÅ«)
Norwegian: motiv n
Romanian: motiv n
Russian: движущий (dvížuÅ¡Äij) m, повод (póvod) m, мотив (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|Ø­Ø§ÙØ² IPAchar|(ħÄfez) m
Chinese: 动机 (dòngjí)
Dutch: motief n
Finnish: vaikutin
French: motif m
German: Motiv n
Hungarian: alapok, hajtóerő
trans-mid
Italian: motivo m
Japanese: 動機 (ã©ã†ã, dÅki)
Korean: ë™ê¸° (donggi)
Portuguese: motivo m
Russian: мотив (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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