Why do we call an ENGINE a MOTOR?

[boyntonstu]

A motor uses an existing energy source like electricity to produce work. An engine converts raw fuel into work..Steam Engines, Diesel Engines, Gasoline Engines..Electric Motors..You never hear the term Electric Engine.

An automobile generally has one engine but several motors. Examples of motors in a car include the starter, wiper motor, fuel pump and heater fan motor. The engine burns fuel, typically gasoline, to propel the vehicle forward. As the engine turns, it also powers the generator that charges the battery, which provides the power required for the various motors in the vehicle. However, the engine remains the prime mover of the vehicle as it drives.

If you accept the above; we are riding an engine assisted bicycle.

 

[darwin]

What engine/motor's in your car? Do you buy engine oil or motor oil? You have a rebuilt engine/motor for sale. Motor has my vote, just makes more sense, nuff said!

 

[boyntonstu]

I drive on a parkway and park my car on a driveway. nuff said!

 

[butre]

the word "motor" has been around a hell of a lot longer than electric motors have. the distinction is recent.

I was always told that engine is just a more specific word.

 

[wheelbender6]

Is NASCAR an Enginesport or Motorsport? Was your Chevy made by General Engines or General Motors? Does Valento Rossi race Enginecycles or Motorcycles?........English words may have specific meanings in the dictionary and the court room, but not in practice.

 

[boyntonstu]

Do you park on a driveway?

BTW May people believe that "You Shall Not Kill" is one of the Bible's Ten Commandments.

"You shall not murder" (Hebrew לֹא תִּרְצָח lo tirṣaḥ) (sometimes mistranslated as You shall not kill (KJV) or Thou shalt not kill (LXX; οὐ φονεύσεις), is a moral imperative included as one of the Ten Commandments in the Torah,[1] specifically Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17.

Kill/Murder not the same (If they were the same, there could not be death penalties)
Engine/Motor not the same

Do you feel that your car engine should be in the same class of machines as your car windshield motor?


If a word is used for a long time by many people, it does not mean that it is correct.

Example: This oxymoron sentence: "Johnny, climb down from that tree!" is not logical or correct.

 

[Deleted member 12676]

dictionaries set the standard for use of words

The word motor comes from the word motion.

the Merriam-Webster dictionary gives this as the definition of the word "motor":

a machine that produces motion or power for doing work
1: one that imparts motion; specifically : prime mover
2: any of various power units that develop energy or impart motion: as
a : a small compact engine
b : internal combustion engine; especially : a gasoline engine
c : a rotating machine that transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy
3: motor vehicle; especially : automobile

Now here is their definition of the word "engine":
a machine that changes energy (such as heat from burning fuel) into mechanical motion

so you can see that the two words are basically interchangeable. Down here in south america only the word motor is used for an internal combustion engine.

 

[boyntonstu]

The word motor comes from the word motion.

the Merriam-Webster dictionary gives this as the definition of the word "motor":

a machine that produces motion or power for doing work
1: one that imparts motion; specifically : prime mover
2: any of various power units that develop energy or impart motion: as
a : a small compact engine
b : internal combustion engine; especially : a gasoline engine
c : a rotating machine that transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy
3: motor vehicle; especially : automobile

Now here is their definition of the word "engine":
a machine that changes energy (such as heat from burning fuel) into mechanical motion

so you can see that the two words are basically interchangeable. Down here in south america only the word motor is used for an internal combustion engine.

Now here is their definition of the word "engine":
a machine that changes energy (such as heat from burning fuel) into mechanical motion.''

Does the thingy on your MB burn fuel? If so, it is an engine.

Have you ever seen a motor that burns fuel?

 

[Deleted member 12676]

Does the thingy on your MB burn fuel? If so, it is an engine.

Have you ever seen a motor that burns fuel?

Look again at this part of the definition of motor:
2: any of various power units that develop energy or impart motion: as
a : a small compact engine
b : internal combustion engine; especially : a gasoline engine

 

[HeadSmess]

actually, theyre really called a двигатель but that really is a nasty, hard to pronounce looking thing....make a cool label though...


or in the land of manufacturing... 发动机 !