Motorising

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Fitting a vehicle or machine with a motor so that it can run under its own power ; making a journey by car or other motor vehicle
2. Supplying an engine to a machine or craft so it moves on its own ; going somewhere by automobile rather than on foot or by other means
3. Providing a motor to something that previously lacked one ; using a car or other motorized transport to get from place to place

Etymology: "Motorising" is the British spelling of "motorizing," the present participle and gerund of "motorise." The verb is built from "motor," which in English first meant something that imparts motion, a sense that goes back to the Latin "motor," "mover," from "movere," "to move." The noun was adopted in the 19th century for machines that convert energy into movement, and the verb followed from it, meaning to equip something with an engine or motor. The ending "-ise" is the British form of the verb-forming suffix that appears in words like "organise" and "modernise," while the American spelling "-ize" follows the same pattern. Both spellings are standard, and the choice mostly reflects regional convention rather than any difference in meaning.

Synonyms: motorizing, mechanising, mechanizing