The terms motor and
engine are commonly used interchangeably, however they do not refer to the same
thing (excluding rocket motors/engines).
Motors power electrical machinery, but do so with the help of outside
sources of energy. On the other hand, it
is disputed that engines supply their own fuel.
Both fueling systems drive objects that are seen and used every day.
When describing
different types of engines, one can go so far as to mention computer search engines or fire engines. With the term
search engine, the main part of a
computer, typically obscured from view, is being referred to. These engines perform long, detailed
calculations and drive the computer accordingly. The word engine can be derived from the Latin
word, ingenium, which as stated in
the text, "referred to one's ability to create things, one's native
genius... and is also the source of ingenious and ingenuity" (copyrighted to
Michael Quinion).
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| Simple electric motor from: uq.edu.au |
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| An engine diagram from: submarineboat.com |
The word motor descents
from the Latin word movere, but
unlike the ingenium, this word
directly means, "to move" (copyrighted to Michael Quinion). It was not until the 1850s when the term motor
began to refer to moveable objects powered by energy. The difference between the motor and engine originated
around the time when the electrical motor
was first invented. This motor
was very different from the familiar steam engine. The steam engine was clearly powered by
steam, but the electric or hydraulic motor had vague sources of energy.
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