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motivo in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian motivo. Doublet of motif and motive.
Noun
motivo (plural motivos or motivi)
- (music) A motif.
1853, Adolf Bernhard Marx, The universal school of music, translated by A. H. Wehrhan, page 165:By the repetition, transposition, inversion, and combination of different motivos, the extended series of sounds is formed […]
Anagrams
Catalan
Pronunciation
Verb
motivo
- first-person singular present indicative of motivar
Esperanto
Etymology
Common Romance, from Latin motivus.
Pronunciation
Noun
motivo (accusative singular motivon, plural motivoj, accusative plural motivojn)
- reason, ground, motive
Ido
Etymology
Borrowed from English motive, French motif, German Motiv, Italian motivo, Russian моти́в (motív), Spanish motivo, all ultimately from Latin mōtivum, accusative singular of mōtivus.
Pronunciation
Noun
motivo (plural motivi)
- motive (that which excites to action, determines choice)
- (music) motif
Derived terms
- motivizar (“to state the motive or grounds of (an opinion, act); (fig.) to justify”)
- plendomotivo (“reason for complaint, grievance”)
- senmotiva (“gratuitous (without proof or motive)”)
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /moˈti.vo/
- Rhymes: -ivo
- Hyphenation: mo‧tì‧vo
Etymology 1
From Late Latin mōtīvus.
Noun
motivo m (plural motivi)
- reason, ground
- Synonym: ragione
- motive
- Synonym: motivazione
- (music) motif, melody, aria
- Synonym: melodia
- pattern, motif
- room
- Synonym: spazio
- scope
- Synonyms: scopo, spazio
Descendants
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
motivo
- first-person singular present indicative of motivare
Further reading
- motivo in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
- motivo in Aldo Gabrielli, Grandi Dizionario Italiano (Hoepli)
- motivo in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa
- motivo in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
- motivo in sapere.it – De Agostini Editore
Anagrams
Latin
Pronunciation
Adjective
mōtīvō
- dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of mōtīvus
Portuguese
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin mōtīvus.
Noun
motivo m (plural motivos)
- motive (that which incites to action)
- Synonyms: causa, finalidade, intuito, razão
- (music) motif (short melodic passage that is repeated in several parts of a work)
- Synonym: leitmotiv
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
motivo
- first-person singular present indicative of motivar
Further reading
- “motivo”, in iDicionário Aulete (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2024
- “motivo”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2024
- “motivo” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
- “motivo”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024
- “motivo”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2024
- “motivo”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /moˈtibo/
- Rhymes: -ibo
- Syllabification: mo‧ti‧vo
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Late Latin motīvus.
Noun
motivo m (plural motivos)
- reason, ground, motive
- no sé por qué motivo ― I don't know for what reason
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
motivo
- first-person singular present indicative of motivar
Further reading