I. ˈmōd.ə(r), -ōtə- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin, from motus (past participle of movēre to move) + -or — more at move
1. : one that imparts motion : a source of mechanical power
in the medieval world view … the heavenly spheres and their angelic motors — S.F.Mason
2.
a. : prime mover 2a(1)
b. : a small compact engine
can take twelve exposures in 5 seconds on 35 mm film, with one winding of the clockwork motor — Eastman Kodak Monthly Abstract Bulletin
motors powered by compressed air are used in wagon drill feeds, in hoists, and in many other machines which operate near a supply of compressed air — H.L.Nichols
c. : a gasoline engine (as for an automotive vehicle or motorboat)
internal-combustion type motor is universally called an engine in the aircraft industry — W.W.Stout
d. : internal-combustion engine
3.
a. : automobile
bought the fastest motor on the market — Victoria Sackville-West
b. : motor vehicle
a cycle and motor dealer — Christopher Lynch-Robinson
4. : a rotating machine that transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy and that consists mainly of a field-magnet winding or a distributed-stator winding which produces a magnetic field and a rotating armature or rotor in whose conductors flow currents which are acted upon by the magnetic field and cause rotation, some of these machines being capable of use as either motors or generators
II. adjective
1.
a. : causing or imparting motion
motor power
b. : of, relating to, or being a nerve or nerve fiber that passes from the central nervous system or a ganglion to a muscle and conducts an impulse that causes movement : efferent
the normal spinal motor nerve cell — Physical Therapy Review
c. : of, relating to, or involving muscular movement
motor activity
motor response
motor behavior patterns
violent motor reactions … convulsions and shakings — E.T.Clark
the mental and motor skills of effective speaking — Quarterly Journal of Speech
2.
a. : equipped with or driven by a motor
a two-man motor toboggan — R.M.Grant
b. : of, in, or relating to an automobile
motor trip
motor industry
c. : designed for motor vehicles or motorists
motor road
motor fuels
motor hotel
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
: to travel by automobile : go by car : drive
often motored down from London — Susan Ertz
transitive verb
1. : to convey or transport by motorcar : drive
whose parents motor them to many places of historic … interest — British Book News
2. : to set or keep in motion (as by a motor)
it was not possible to motor engines connected to the induction-type dynamometer — M.A.Elliott