locomotive

C2 Topic:Transportation

US /ˌloʊkəˈmoʊtɪv/ UK /ˌləʊkəˈməʊtɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #20143

Meanings

1

noun
The engine of a train that pulls the carriages or wagons.

A powerful steam locomotive pulled the long line of carriages up the hill.
2

adj
Relating to movement from one place to another.

Walking and running are forms of locomotive activity.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the engine of a train that... engine locorailway engine

2 adj · relating to movement from... locomotor

Word family

Forms locomotivelylocomotives

Derived forms hyperlocomotivehypolocomotivelocilocielocomotivemanlocomotivenessnonlocomotiveunlocomotive

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

steam locomotive
a railway locomotive driven by a steam engine

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Locomotive is recorded from the early 17th century and belongs to the word family based on Latin locus, meaning “place.” It originally described something capable of moving its place.

Etymology

From French locomotif, from Latin locō (literally “from a place”) (ablative of locus (“place”)) + Vulgar Latin mōtivus (“moving”) (see motive). In the rail transport sense, ellipsis of locomotive (steam) engine, attested from 1814.

*m(y)ewh₁- Proto-Indo-European locomotif French locō Latin mōtivus la-vul

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Transportation Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# locomotive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌloʊkəˈmoʊtɪv/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌləʊkəˈməʊtɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 20143

## Meanings
1. The engine of a train that pulls the carriages or wagons.
2. Relating to movement from one place to another.

## Examples
- A powerful steam locomotive pulled the long line of carriages up the hill.
- Walking and running are forms of locomotive activity.

## Synonyms
- loco

## Derived Forms
- hyperlocomotive
- hypolocomotive
- loci
- locie
- locomotiveman
- locomotiveness
- nonlocomotive
- unlocomotive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *m(y)ewh₁-
- Root: locomotif
- Root: locō
- Root: mōtivus

## Etymology
From French locomotif, from Latin locō (literally “from a place”) (ablative of locus (“place”)) + Vulgar Latin mōtivus (“moving”) (see motive). In the rail transport sense, ellipsis of locomotive (steam) engine, attested from 1814.

## AI Etymology
Locomotive is from French locomotif, from Latin locō (literally “from a place”) (ablative of locus (“place”)) + Vulgar Latin mōtivus (“moving”) (see motive). In the rail transport sense, ellipsis of locomotive (steam) engine, attested from 1814. In present-day use, it can mean the engine of a train that pulls the carriages or wagons, or relating to movement from one place to another. Derived formations include hyperlocomotive, hypolocomotive, loci, locie, and locomotiveman.

## Topics
- Transportation
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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