Associations to the word «Motive»

MOTIVE, noun. (obsolete) An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting. [14th-17th c.]

MOTIVE, noun. An incentive to act in a particular way; a reason or emotion that makes one want to do something; anything that prompts a choice of action. [from 15th c.]

MOTIVE, noun. (obsolete) (rare) A limb or other bodily organ that can move. [15th-17th c.]

MOTIVE, noun. (legal) Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour. [from 18th c.]

MOTIVE, noun. (architecture) (fine arts) A motif. [from 19th c.]

MOTIVE, noun. (music) A motif; a theme or subject, especially one that is central to the work or often repeated. [from 19th c.]

MOTIVE, verb. (transitive) To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

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

MOTIVE, adjective. Relating to motion and/or to its cause

MOTIVE POWER, noun. The power that enables something to move; also used in a figurative sense.

MOTIVE, noun. 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".

MOTIVE, noun. A theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music.

MOTIVE, noun. A design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration.

MOTIVE, adjective. Causing or able to cause motion; "a motive force"; "motive power"; "motor energy".

MOTIVE, adjective. Impelling to action; "it may well be that ethical language has primarily a motivative function"- Arthur Pap; "motive pleas"; "motivating arguments".