Mother, muth′ėr, n. a female parent, esp. one of the human race: a woman in relation to her child: a matron: that which has produced anything: the female head of a religious house: a familiar term of address to an old woman.—adj. received by birth, as it were from one's mother: natural: acting the part of a mother: originating.—v.t. to adopt as a son or daughter.—ns. Moth′er-church, the church from which others have sprung; Moth′er-coun′try, -land, the country of one's birth: the country from which a colony has gone out; Moth′erhood, state of being a mother; Moth′ering, a rural English custom of visiting one's parents on Mid-Lent Sunday; Moth′er-in-law, the mother of one's husband or wife.—adj. Moth′erless, without a mother.—n. Moth′erliness.—adj. Moth′erly, pertaining to, or becoming, a mother: like a mother: parental: tender.—ns. Moth′er-of-pearl′, the nacreous internal layer of the shells of several molluscs, esp. of the pearl-oyster, so called because producing the pearl; Moth′er's-mark, a birth-mark; Moth′er-tongue, a person's native language: a language from which another has its origin; Moth′er-wa′ter, the residual liquid remaining after the chemical substances it contained have been crystallised or precipitated; Moth′er-wit, native wit: common-sense; Moth′er-wort, a labiate plant growing in waste places; Queen′-moth′er, the mother of a reigning sovereign.—Mother Carey's chicken, the stormy petrel, or other bird of the same family; Mother-Hubbard, a woman's loose flowing gown, like that proper to the nursery heroine.—Every mother's son, all, without exception. [A.S. móder; Dut. moeder, Ice. móðir, Ger. mutter, Ir. and Gael. mathair, L. mater, Gr. mētēr, Sans, mátá, mátri.]
Mother, muthėr, n. dregs or sediments, as of vinegar.—v.i. to become concreted.—adj. Moth′ery. [Mud.]
Motif, mō-tēf′, n. an old form of motive: a theme or ground for intellectual action, or a leading subject in a dramatic work: in a musical composition the principal subject on which the movement is constructed. [Fr.,—L. motus, moved.]
Motion, mō′shun, n. the act or state of moving: a single movement: change of posture: gait: power of moving or of being moved: angular velocity—direct when from west to east; retrograde when from east to west: excitement of the mind: any natural impulse, instigation: proposal made, esp. in an assembly: an application to a court, during a case before it, for an order or rule that something be done, esp. something incidental to the progress of the cause rather than its issue: evacuation of the intestine: (pl., B.) impulses.—v.i. to make a significant movement, to offer a proposal.—v.t. to guide by a gesture, &c.: to move.—adj. Mō′tile, capable of spontaneous motion.—n. Motil′ity.—adj. Mo′tional, characterised by motions.—n. Mō′tionist, one who makes a motion.—adj. Mō′tionless, without motion.—Absolute motion, change of absolute place; Accelerated motion, motion of which the velocity is continually increasing; Angular motion, motion regarded as measured by the increase of the angle made with some standard direction by a line drawn from the moving object to a fixed point; Laws of motion, Newton's three laws: (1) Every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, except so far as it may be compelled by force to change that state; (2) Change of motion is proportional to force applied, and takes place in the direction of the straight line in which the force acts; (3) To every action there is always an equal and contrary reaction; Parallel motion (see Parallel); Perpetual motion (see Perpetual); Quantity of motion, momentum. [Fr.,—L.,—movēre, mōtum, to move.]
Motive, mō′tiv, adj. causing motion: having power to cause motion.—n. that which moves or excites to action: inducement: reason.—v.t. to act on as a motive, instigate.—v.t. Mō′tivāte, to act on as a motive, induce.—n. Motivā′tion.—adj. Mōtiveless.—ns. Mō′tivelessness; Mō′tive-power, or -force, the force acting upon a body so as to cause it to move; Motiv′ity, power of producing motion: the quality of being influenced by motion. [Fr., through Low L., from movēre, mōtum to move.]
Motley, mot′li, adj. covered with spots of different colours: consisting of different colours: composed of various parts, heterogeneous.—n. clothes made of pieces of different colours: the dress of a jester: any mixture, esp. of colours.—adj. Mot′ley-mind′ed (Shak.), having fickle and foolish thoughts and feelings.—Man of motley, a jester. [Skeat explains M. E. mottelee as through O. Fr. mattelé, clotted, curdled—Bavarian matte, curds.]
Motmot, mot′mot, n. a sawbill.
Motograph, mō′to-graf, n. a device of Edison's, used as a telephone receiver, &c., by which the variation of the friction between two conductors in relative motion is diminished periodically by the passage of a current of electricity from one to the other across the surface of contact.—adj. Motograph′ic. [L. motus, motion, Gr. graphein, to write.]
Motophone, mō′to-fōn, n. a sound-engine of Edison's actuated by aerial sound-waves. [L. motus, motion, Gr. phōnē, a voice.]
Motor, mō′tor, n. a mover: that which gives motion: a machine by means of which steam or other sources of force can be used to give motion or produce work.—adj. giving or transmitting motion.—ns. Mō′tor-car, a vehicle for the road impelled by steam, electricity, or petrol (petroleum spirit); Mō′tor-dy′namo, a dynamo used as a motor.—adjs. Motō′rial, Mō′tory, giving motion.—n. Motō′rium, that part of the nervous organism instrumental in the exertion of motor influence:—opp. to Sensorium, that which feels or perceives.—adj. Motorpath′ic, belonging to Motor′pathy or the movement cure.—Motor nerve, any nerve which transmits impulse to the muscles.—Air-motor, a machine impelled by compressed air. [Cf. Motive.]