motive
noun
[ ˈməʊtɪv ]
• a reason for doing something.
• "police were unable to establish a motive for his murder"
Similar:
reason,
motivation,
motivating force,
rationale,
grounds,
cause,
basis,
occasion,
thinking,
the whys and wherefores,
object,
purpose,
intention,
design,
incentive,
inducement,
impulse,
incitement,
influence,
lure,
inspiration,
stimulus,
stimulation,
spur,
goad,
provocation,
pressure,
persuasion,
consideration,
• a motif in art, literature, or music.
motive
adjective
• producing physical or mechanical motion.
• "the charge of gas is the motive force for every piston stroke"
• causing or being the reason for something.
• "the motive principle of a writer's work"
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French motif (adjective used as a noun), from late Latin motivus, from movere ‘to move’.
