An old-fashioned word for an automobile or car powered by a motor.
Compound of 'motor' (from Latin 'movere,' to move) and 'car' (from Latin 'carrum,' a wheeled vehicle); came into use in the late 1800s when motor-powered vehicles were new.
When the word 'motorcar' was invented, it was necessary to specify 'motor' because most 'cars' were horse-drawn—saying 'motorcar' was like today saying 'electric car' to specify the power source.
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