DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan

 mo·tive /ˈmotɪv, ||moˈtiv/
 動機,目的,主題,發動力(a.)運動的,成為動機的

 mo·tive /ˈmotɪv/ 名詞
 動機,目的

 Mo·tive n.
 1. That which moves; a mover. [Obs.]
 2. That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object; motivation2.
    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.”
 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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 motive
      adj 1: causing or able to cause motion; "a motive force"; "motive
             power"; "motor energy" [syn: motive(a), 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(a), motive(a),
          motivating]
      n 1: 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" [syn: motivation, need]
      2: a theme that is elaborated on in a piece of music [syn: motif]