Talk:motor

what is the etymology of "motor"? I ask this, because I have been looking at the use of the words "motor" and "engine" - how they are synonyms and how they are used differently.


 * A motor is something that makes something move, or that generates movement. An engine just transforms energy in some way - it might not even have any moving parts. SemperBlotto 14:26, 18 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I would like to explain a bit about the etymology of "engine". Initially, in English, it had to do with the ability to cleverly create something. Later, it was used to refer to the results or products of such cleverness (tools, apparatuses, machines, etc.). I think that at around the beginning of the 19th century both words had already similar definitions regarding technology. But, when internal combustion engines and electric motors (they were NOT called so at those times, btw) became more widespread, their inventors/innovators started to use the word "motor" instead of engine. I presume they did so to get some distance from the technologies they were replacing (steam engine, for instance). Even several companies decided to use the word "motor" instead of "engine" as a part of their names. In a broad sense, in my opinion, they could be used interchangeably. The engine of a car was called motor especially in America for a long time because of the fact I described before. But, in time, engine took its place back in some way so now cars have engines. Motor, nonetheless, kept the electric motor "market". So, a car may have one engine (that provide power to move it) and, one ore more electric motors (that move windows, etc.). And, you have to consider that hybrid cars have 1 engine and at least, 1 electric motor which, working together, move the car. George Rodney Maruri Game (talk) 00:19, 10 April 2022 (UTC)

automobile
In the UK at least motor is common slang/colloquial usage for a car. Not archaic. Mglovesfun (talk) 09:13, 3 October 2011 (UTC)

Etymology
Other websites indicate that the word comes from the Latin noun "mōtor" (mover) and; not from "mōtō" (I move) which is the first-person singular present active indicative of the verb "mōtāre" (to move). George Rodney Maruri Game (talk) 00:26, 10 April 2022 (UTC)