motile

[ moht-l, moh-til ]
See synonyms for motile on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. Biology. moving or capable of moving spontaneously: motile cells; motile spores.

Origin of motile

1
1860–65; <Latin mōt(us) (past participle of movēre to move, set in motion) + -ile

Other words from motile

  • mo·til·i·ty [moh-til-i-tee], /moʊˈtɪl ɪ ti/, noun
  • non·mo·tile, adjective
  • un·mo·tile, adjective

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How to use motile in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for motile

motile

/ (ˈməʊtaɪl) /


adjective
  1. capable of moving spontaneously and independently

noun
  1. psychol a person whose mental imagery strongly reflects movement, esp his own

Origin of motile

1
C19: from Latin mōtus moved, from movēre to move

Derived forms of motile

  • motility (məʊˈtɪlɪtɪ), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for motile

motile

[ mōtl, mōtīl′ ]


  1. Moving or able to move by itself. Sperm and certain spores are motile.

Other words from motile

  • motility noun (mō-tĭlĭ-tē)

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