Standard Lemma guide

motorist

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M OW1 T ER0 IH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who drives a motor vehicle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: driver, autoist, automobilist, motorman

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: operator

2

noun

Meaning 2

someone who drives (or travels in) an automobile

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: automobilist

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: driver

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh1- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh1éyetider. Proto-Italic *moweō Latin moveō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin mōtorder. Middle English motour English motor Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist English motorist From motor + -ist.

Across languages

Translations

41 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سَائِق (sāʔiq) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Belarusian: аўтамабілі́ст (awtamabilíst) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Belarusian: аўтамабілі́стка (awtamabilístka) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Bulgarian: автомобилист (avtomobilist) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Catalan: motorista — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 汽車駕駛員 /汽车驾驶员 (qìchē jiàshǐyuán) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 司機 /司机 (sījī) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Czech: motorista — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Danish: bilist — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Dutch: automobilist — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Esperanto: aŭtisto — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Finnish: kuljettaja — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Finnish: moottoriajoneuvon kuljettaja — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Finnish: autoilija — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • French: automobiliste — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Galician: motorista — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • German: Autofahrer — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • German: Autofahrerin — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Hungarian: autós — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Hungarian: autóvezető — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Italian: automobilista — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Japanese: モータリスト (mōtarisuto) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Macedonian: возач (vozač) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Macedonian: автомобили́ст (avtomobilíst) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bilist — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bilist — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Polish: kierujący — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Polish: kierowca — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Portuguese: motorista — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Romanian: automobilist — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Romanian: automobilistă — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Russian: автомобили́ст (avtomobilíst) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Russian: автомобили́стка (avtomobilístka) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Russian: автолюби́тель (avtoljubítelʹ) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Russian: автолюби́тельница (avtoljubítelʹnica) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Spanish: conductor — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Swedish: bilist — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Ukrainian: автомобілі́ст (avtomobilíst) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Ukrainian: автомобілі́стка (avtomobilístka) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Yiddish: אויטאָמאָביליסט (oytomobilist) — one who drives a motor vehicle
  • Yiddish: אויטאָמאָביליסטקע (oytomobilistke) — one who drives a motor vehicle