About The Word Motive
Learn about the word Motive to help solve your crossword puzzle. Discover Motive definitions and meaning, origins, synonyms, related terms and more at the free Crossword Dictionary.
Motive
Motive Definition And Meaning |
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What's The Definition Of Motive?
[n] the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior; "we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives"
[n] a theme that is elaborated on in a piece of music Synonyms | Synonyms for Motive: motif | motivation | need Related Terms | Find terms related to Motive: activating | active | actuating | aim | ambition | angle | animating | animus | antecedent | argument | aspiration | attraction | basis | burden | case | causal | causative | cause | chapter | compelling | concern | consideration | counsel | desideration | desideratum | design | desire | determinant | determination | device | directive | driving | effect | emotion | end | enticement | essence | feeling | figure | fixed purpose | focus of attention | focus of interest | function | gist | goad | goal | grounds | head | heading | idea | impellent | impelling | impulsive | in motion | incentive | incitement | inducement | inducive | influence | intendment | intent | intention | issue | kinetic | leitmotiv | living issue | lure | main point | matter | matter in hand | meaning | meat | mind | mobile | motif | motile | motivating | motivating force | motivation | motivational | motor | moving | nisus | object | objective | operative | passion | pattern | phrase | plan | point | point at issue | point in question | pressing | problem | prod | project | propellant | propelling | proposal | propulsive | propulsory | prospectus | pulsive | purpose | pushing | question | rationale | reason | resolution | resolve | rubric | sake | shoving | spring | spur | stimulation | stimulus | stirring | striving | study | subject | subject matter | subject of thought | substance | text | theme | thrusting | topic | transitional | traveling | urge | urgent | view | will See Also | ethical motive | ethics | idea | impulse | irrational motive | life | melodic theme | mental energy | morality | morals | musical theme | obbligato | obligato | psychic energy | psychological feature | rational motive | theme | urge Motive In Webster's Dictionary \Mo"tive\, n. [F. motif, LL. motivum, from motivus
moving, fr. L. movere, motum, to move. See {Move}.]
1. That which moves; a mover. [Obs.] --Shak.
2. That which incites to action; anything prompting or
exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason;
inducement; object.
By motive, I mean the whole of that which moves,
excites, or invites the mind to volition, whether
that be one thing singly, or many things
conjunctively. --J. Edwards.
3. (Mus.) The theme or subject; a leading phrase or passage
which is reproduced and varied through the course of a
comor a movement; a short figure, or melodic germ, out of
which a whole movement is develpoed. See also Leading
motive, under {Leading}. [Written also {motivo}.]
4. (Fine Arts) 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.
Syn: Incentive; incitement; inducement; reason; spur;
stimulus; cause.
Usage: {Motive}, {Inducement}, {Reason}. Motive is the word
originally used in speaking of that which determines
the choice. We call it an inducement when it is
attractive in its nature. We call it a reason when it
is more immediately addressed to the intellect in the
form of argument.
\Mo"tive\, a. Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power. ``Motive faculty.'' --Bp. Wilkins. {Motive power} (Mach.), a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover. \Mo"tive\, v. t. To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move. |
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