motile
Americanadjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of motile
1860–65; < Latin mōt ( us ) (past participle of movēre to move, set in motion) + -ile
Explanation
Motile organisms can move. If you put a drop of pond water under a microscope, you might see motile creatures darting around. Biologists are interested in whether or not very small organisms are motile. Some doctors are concerned with how motile a person's digestive system is, or how efficiently food is moving through it. The movement itself is called motility, and both words come from the French motilité, from the Latin motus, or "motion," with motile copying the form of mobile.
Vocabulary lists containing motile
Animals (Zoology) - Middle School
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The Lives of a Cell
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Animals (Zoology) - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There was no notable difference in live birth rates between those with and without anxiety, though men with anxiety had, on average, lower total motile sperm counts during egg retrieval.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2023
We found that men who performed fewer mate guarding behaviors produced higher quality ejaculates, having a greater concentration of sperm, a higher percentage of motile sperm and sperm that swam faster and less erratically.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2022
The bank guarantees a vial will have 10 million or 15 million total motile sperm.
From New York Times ● Jan. 8, 2021
As they beat back and forth outside the cell, coordinated brushes of so-called motile cilia regulate fluid flow nearby.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 10, 2014
Language, once it comes alive, behaves like an active, motile organism.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
