different between pith vs motive

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English pith, pithe, from Old English piþa, from Proto-Germanic *piþô (compare West Frisian piid (“pulp, kernel”), Dutch peen (“carrot”), Low German Peddik (“pulp, core”)), from earlier *piþ? (oblique *pittan). Doublet of pit. The verb meaning "to kill by cutting or piercing the spinal cord" is attested 1805.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p??/
• Rhymes: -??

Noun

pith (usually uncountable, plural piths)

1. (botany) The soft, spongy substance in the center of the stems of many plants and trees.
2. The spongy interior substance of a feather or horn.
3. (anatomy) The spinal cord; the marrow.
4. (botany) The albedo of a citrus fruit.
5. (figuratively) The essential or vital part; force; energy; importance.
   • 1975, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift [Avon ed., 1976, p. 144]:

     The clothesline surrendered the pith of its soul, and Kathleen's stockings, hung at the wide end, now suggested lust.

6. (figuratively) Power, strength, might.

Synonyms

• (essential or necessary part): core, essence, general tenor, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty, nub, quintessence, soul, spirit, stuff, substance; See also Thesaurus:gist

Related terms

• pith helmet
• pithy
• pith and substance

Translations

Verb

pith (third-person singular simple present piths, present participle pithing, simple past and past participle pithed)

1. (transitive) To extract the pith from (a plant stem or tree).
2. (transitive) To kill (especially cattle or laboratory animals) by cutting or piercing the spinal cord.

Etymology 2

From pi (“number 3.14159...”) +? -th.

Alternative forms

• pi-th

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pa??/

Adjective

pith (not comparable)

1. The ordinal form of the number pi.

Translations

Noun

pith (plural piths)

1. One divided by pi.

Translations

Anagrams

• phit

Middle English

Alternative forms

• pithe, piþ, piþþe, pyþe, peþe, pyth, pythe

Etymology

From Old English piþa, from Proto-Germanic *piþô.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pi?(?)/, /?pið(?)/, /?pe??(?)/

Noun

pith (uncountable)

1. The soft interior portion of something, especially:
   1. (botany) pith (soft substance in the center of a plant's stem)
   2. The pulp (soft innards) of a fruit.
2. (figuratively) The essential or vital part; importance.
3. (figuratively) Power, strength, might.

Descendants

• English: pith
• Scots: pith

References

• “pith(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

English

Etymology

From Middle English motif, from Anglo-Norman motif, Middle French motif, and their source, Late Latin motivum (“motive, moving cause”), neuter of motivus (“serving to move”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?m??t?v/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?mo?t?v/

Noun

motive (plural motives)

1. (obsolete) An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting. [14th-17th c.]
2. An incentive to act in a particular way; a reason or emotion that makes one want to do something; anything that prompts a choice of action. [from 15th c.]
   • 1947, Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano:

     Many of them at first seemed kind to him, but it turned out their motives were not entirely altruistic.

   Synonym: motivation

3. (obsolete, rare) A limb or other bodily organ that can move. [15th-17th c.]
4. (law) Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour. [from 18th c.]
5. (architecture, fine arts) A motif. [from 19th c.]
6. (music) A motif; a theme or subject, especially one that is central to the work or often repeated. [from 19th c.]

Synonyms

• (creative works) motif

Related terms

Translations

Verb

motive (third-person singular simple present motives, present participle motiving, simple past and past participle motived)

1. (transitive) To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

   Synonym: motivate

Translations

Adjective

motive (not comparable)

1. Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move
   • 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus, Folio Society 2007, p. 195:

     In the motive parts of animals may be discovered mutuall proportions; not only in those of Quadrupeds, but in the thigh-bone, legge, foot-bone, and claws of Birds.

   Synonym: moving

2. Relating to motion and/or to its cause

   Synonym: motional

Translations

Further reading

• motive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• motive in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• motive at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• evomit, move it

French

Verb

motive

1. first-person singular present indicative of motiver
2. third-person singular present indicative of motiver
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of motiver
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of motiver
5. second-person singular imperative of motiver

Latin

Adjective

m?t?ve

1. vocative masculine singular of m?t?vus

Portuguese

Verb

motive

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of motivar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of motivar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of motivar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of motivar

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mo?tive]

Noun

motive

1. plural of motiv

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

motive (Cyrillic spelling ??????)

1. accusative plural of motiv
2. vocative singular of motiv

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mo?tibe/, [mo?t?i.??e]

Verb

motive

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of motivar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of motivar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of motivar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of motivar.