Motorcars

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A wheeled transport vehicle primarily intended for road use, usually powered by an engine that propels it forward
2. A self-driven automobile designed to carry passengers or cargo on paved roads and highways
3. A type of automotive vehicle engineered for transporting individuals or goods across roadways while being propelled by an internal combustion or electric engine

Etymology: "Motorcars" is simply the plural of "motorcar," so it is built from the same two parts: "motor," an engine or machine that produces motion, and "car," a vehicle with wheels. The compound combines a word for a self-powered machine with one for a wheeled carriage, which is why the term distinguishes the engine-driven vehicle from horse-drawn or hand-pushed ones. "Car" itself has a long journey behind it. It descends from a Celtic root meaning a two-wheeled cart, passed through Latin "carrus" and Old French "carre," and so it originally referred to a wheeled carriage rather than anything motorized. "Motor," by contrast, comes from Latin "motor," meaning "mover," from the verb "movere," to move. Put together, the two parts describe a moving thing on wheels, with the engine supplying the movement that horses once provided.

Synonyms: cars, automobiles, vehicles, sedans, coupes