motility
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of motility
First recorded in 1800–10; from Latin mōt-, stem of movēre “to move” + -ility ( def. )
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How does motility compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
In biology, motility is the ability of organisms and fluid to move or get around. A microbiologist might test and compare the motility of various single-celled organisms. An easy way to remember that motility means the ability to move without help is the mot- at the root of the word. It's the same root that's found in "motor," which is, of course, the engine that drives a car. If you've got good motility then your motor is working. After a car accident, an athlete's friends are understandably concerned about her motility. Motility is something you tend to take for granted — until you sprain an ankle.
Vocabulary lists containing motility
Microbiology - High School
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Silent Spring
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Microbiology - Middle 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.
Diamond said that in the company’s clinical research on men with male-factor infertility, findings showed its male prenatals significantly boosted sperm motility, or how well the sperm moves.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
But the enteric nervous system, which governs gut motility through a dense network of neurons that neuroscientists sometimes call the “second brain,” is not built to sustain that kind of chronic, pharmacological override.
From Slate • Mar. 22, 2026
Disrupting sympathetic nerve signaling improved motility issues but did not reduce pain.
From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026
He also has reduced eye motility, visual function and substantial field loss.
From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025
All their aunts have received Communications, and there they sit, with proof of the motility of consciousness at their fingertips, and the making of a new science.
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.
