From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

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Wikipedia Wiktionary Wiki Commons Tumblr Wikisource YouTube Shop Featured: A Scheme for abolishing all Words is one of the wittiest and smartest comments on semantics. (Illustration: extreme close-up from the movie "The Big Swallow" (1901), produced and directed by James Williamson (1855-1933)

1. An incentive to act; a reason for doing something; anything that prompted a choice of action.

   Although his questions seemed strange to me, I'm sure he had a good motive for asking them.

2. alternative spelling of motif; a theme or subject, especially one that is central to the work or often repeated.

   If you listen carefully, you can hear the flutes mimicking the cello motive.

Contents 1 See also 2 Criminal law 3 Creative or artistic work 4 Computing 5 Other uses 6 See also

See also

1. Motif (literature)
2. Motif (music)
3. Motif (visual arts)
4. Motif of harmful sensation

Motive may refer to:

Criminal law

• Motive (law)

Creative or artistic work

• Motive art movement, a philosophical artistic movement started by the artist Blake Ward
• Motive (Red Box album), 1990
• Motive (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band album), 1990
• The Motive, a punk band
• Motives (film), a 2004 thriller film

Computing

• Motive, Inc, a software manufacturer

Other uses

• Motive (algebraic geometry)

See also

• Motif (disambiguation)
• Motivation