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Meaning of motive in English
Pronunciation
/ˈmoʊdɪv/
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Noun
motive
Etymology
late Middle English: from Old French motif (adjective used as a noun), from late Latin motivus, from movere‘to move’
Definitions
1.
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal
Examples
« 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 »
2.
a theme that is elaborated on in a piece of music