Langimage
English

motorically

|mo-tor-ic-al-ly|

C2

🇺🇸

/moʊˈtɔrɪkli/

🇬🇧

/məʊˈtɒrɪkli/

(motoric)

relating to movement/motor function

Base FormAdjectiveAdverb
motoricmotoricalmotorically
Etymology
Etymology Information

'motorically' ultimately comes from the adjective 'motoric', itself formed from the noun 'motor' (from Latin 'motor') with the adjectival suffix '-ic', plus the adverbial suffix '-ally' to make 'motorically'. 'Motor' in Latin derives from 'movere' meaning 'to move'.

Historical Evolution

'motor' comes from Latin 'motor' (one who moves) derived from the verb 'movere'. The adjective 'motoric' was formed in modern English from 'motor' + '-ic'; adding the adverbial ending produced 'motorically'.

Meaning Changes

Initially related to the notion of 'movement' (from Latin 'movere' meaning 'to move'); over time the derived adjective/adverb has come to mean specifically 'relating to motor function or muscular movement' in modern usage.

Meanings by Part of Speech

Adverb 1

in a manner relating to physical movement or motor skills; by means of muscular movement rather than verbally or mentally.

The infant reached motorically for the toy before he could speak.

Synonyms

physicallymuscularlykinetically

Antonyms

Adverb 2

in terms of motor control or coordination (often used in clinical, developmental, or neurological contexts).

Patients were assessed motorically to evaluate their fine motor coordination.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Last updated: 2025/12/27 15:29