Both Uses
motive
in
Chasing Lincoln's Killer
(Auto-generated)
- The actor, still masquerading as a Confederate soldier, commented on his own crime and analyzed for the Garretts the motives of Lincoln's killer!†
p. 159.7motives = reasons for doing something
- He had violated no orders, and no one could prove his motive was anything other than protecting his men.†
p. 186.9 *motive = reason (for doing something)
Definitions:
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(1)
(motive as in: What is her motive?) a reason for doing something
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(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Less commonly, motive can refer to something that causes motion in an inanimate object. Even less commonly, it can refer to a distinctive feature in music, art, or literature.