motorcar
motorcar Lexical Profile
motorcar Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A four-wheeled road vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine or electric motor and designed to carry a small number of passengers; an automobile.
"The museum features a beautifully restored 1920s motorcar that once belonged to the city's mayor."
North American A self-propelled railway vehicle used for carrying passengers, inspecting tracks, or transporting maintenance crews.
"The track inspection crew traveled along the mountain rail line in a small gasoline-powered motorcar."
Word Nuance & Usage
While universally understood, 'motorcar' (often written as 'motor car' in British English) sounds somewhat dated or formal in contemporary conversation, where the shortened form 'car' is overwhelmingly preferred.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 19th century as a compound of 'motor' (from Latin 'movere', meaning 'to move') and 'car' (from Anglo-Norman 'carre', referring to a wheeled vehicle) to distinguish self-propelled vehicles from horse-drawn carriages.