Definition: motive

Search dictionary for

Source: WordNet (r) 1.7 

motive
     adj 1: causing or able to cause motion; "a motive force"; "motive
            power"; "motor energy" [syn: motive, motor]
     2: impelling to action; "it may well be that ethical language
        has primarily a motivative function"- Arthur Pap; "motive
        pleas"; "motivating arguments" [syn: motivative, motive,
         motivating]
     n 1: the psychological feature that arouses an organism to
          action; the reason for the action; "we did not
          understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of
          motives" [syn: motivation, need]
     2: a theme that is elaborated on in a piece of music [syn: motif]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 

Motive \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.
Motive \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.
Motive \Mo"tive\, v. t.
   To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.