3 ms·
Aren't there large areas of the anglophone world where "motor" = electric motor and "engine" = something that burns fuel to turn?
by actionfromafar 2y ago
Aren't there large areas of the anglophone world where "motor" = electric motor and "engine" = something that burns fuel to turn?
- JohnFen 2y agoIn my part of the US, anyway, gas car engines are usually called "engines", but calling them "motors" is not that unusual and wouldn't raise any eyebrows. There are a few auto repair shops around here that even call themselves "motorworks".
- hunter2_ 2y agoAlongside motorworks there are countless others: motorcycle, motorboat, motorway, motorhome, motel (hotel that you motor to), motor oil, motor mounts, etc. etc.
- geodel 2y agoAnd Car used to be called Motor Car for as long as I remember in my country.
- JohnFen 2y ago> motel (hotel that you motor to) When I was a child, I remember seeing some such accommodations calling themselves "motor hotels" or "motor lodges".
- hunter2_ 2y ago"Motor inn" is still quite common.
- fuzzfactor 2y agoObviously named accordingly since vehicles like this all contain an engine ;)
- jabl 2y agoAnd then we have "motorhead", which, well, I'll let the reader work out what it means if unclear. ;)
- saghm 2y agoIn a similar vein, when reading this comments I can't help but think of the use of "motor" as a verb, as in "you're motoring, what's your price for flight?"
- omoikane 2y agoIt's common to find references to "rocket motors", so it isn't always electric. Wikipedia now redirects "rocket motors" to "rocket engines", but "motor" is still used throughout those pages. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rocket_motor&redirect=no https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rocket_motor&redi... https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Solid_rocket_motor&redirect=no https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Solid_rocket_moto...
- jandrese 2y agoFrom what I've seen the "rocket motor" motor was mostly due to the packaging on the hobby rockets. Another example of how a single company can make a huge impact not only on society, but language itself.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- kobalsky 2y agofor comparison, engine translates to motor in spanish, so both words are the same. engineer is translated as ingeniero, which originates from ingenious and not engine.
- gattilorenz 2y agoEngine itself comes from ingenium: https://www.etymonline.com/word/engine https://www.etymonline.com/word/engine
- JR1427 2y agoYes, this is true in the UK (at least amongst people who know the difference between an electric motor and an ICE)
- crazygringo 2y agoYes, this was absolutely always my colloquial understanding. I realize that there are traditional terms like a "motor car" that has an engine. But my ICE car has an engine, not a motor, because it burns fuel. While my coffee grinder has a motor, not an engine, because it's electric. I'm curious if there's anywhere in the anglophone world where this is not the common distinction. (Even if there might be technical fields that have their own different technical definitions.)