motor

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈməʊtə/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈmoʊtəɹ/, [ˈmoʊɾɚ]

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈməʉtə/, [ˈməʉɾə], /ˈmɐʉtə/, [ˈmɐʉɾə]
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐʉtə/, [ˈmɐʉɾə]
• Hyphenation: mo‧tor
• Rhymes: -əʊtə(ɹ)

Noun

motor (plural motors)

1. A machine or device that converts other energy forms into mechanical energy, or imparts motion.
2. (now colloquial outside attributive use) A motor car, or automobile, sometimes extended to other powered vehicles, such as goods vehicles.

   Nice motor!

   Motor insurance is expensive for youngsters. (attributive use)

   • 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:

     '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

Adjective

motor (not comparable)

1. (biology) Relating to the ability to move.

   She has excellent motor skills.

2. (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.

Verb

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.

   • 1946 April 22, Bobby Troup, “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66”, in New Juke Box Hits, performed by Chuck Berry, published March 1961, side 2, track 2:

     Well, if you ever plan to motor west / Jack, take my way, it's the highway that's the best / Get your kicks on Route 66

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.

References

• Motor Neurons at Motor Units on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “motor”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “motor”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• morto