Etymology

motor

mo·tor
M3O1T1O1R1

Today it means: A machine or device that converts other energy forms into mechanical energy, or imparts motion. Full definition →

Middle English motour ← Latin mōtor ← Proto-Italic *moweō
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*m(y)ewh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*m(y)owh₁éyeti
  3. Proto-Italic*moweō
  4. Latinmoveō
  5. Latinmōtor
  6. Middle Englishmotour
  7. English todaymotor

From Middle English motour (“controller, prime mover; God”), from Latin mōtor (“mover; that which moves something”), from mōtō (“to set in motion”).

Words from the same roots

Latinmōtor all →

motographymotrix

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.