motile
/ˈməʊtaɪl/adjective, noun
motile is spelled M-O-T-I-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, motile means “In organisms: having the power to move spontaneously” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in motile?
| Letters | 6: M-O-T-I-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 64,400th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is motile?
Motile appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce motile?
- UK /ˈməʊtaɪl/
Motile has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-motile.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of motile
- more motile comparative
- most motile superlative
- motiles plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does motile mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
In organisms: having the power to move spontaneously.
- 2
In organs or organelles: capable of producing motion.
- 3
In organs: having the power to move their contents, or to change their shape or tension by writhing or contracting as required by their particular physiological functions.
- 4
Of or relating to those mental images that arise from the sensations of bodily movement and position.
noun
- 1
A person whose prevailing mental imagery takes the form of inner feelings of action, such as incipient pronunciation of words, muscular innervations, etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Motile in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Having the power to move spontaneously:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does motile come from?
From Latin mōtus, perfect passive participle of moveō (“to move”, whence English move), + -ile.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).