riddle me this on a sunday arvo

[richard 384]

why is a combustion engine called an engine and a electric motor call a motor and not an engine.

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2132]

Quote Wikipedia (mostly reliable)

An engine is a device that burns or otherwise consumes fuel, changing its chemical composition, whereas a motor is a device driven by electricity, which does not change the chemical composition of its energy source.^[3]

[richard 384]

so how come you can have an outboard motor thats combustion

[gjm 3258]

so how come you can have an outboard motor thats combustion

But if you fit an outboard motor to a boat, it becomes a motor boat.

OK... Let's get pedantic.

An engine is something used to bring about a change. This can apply to the device under the bonnet of your car, or an emotive piece of text, or many other things.

A motor is a specific case of an engine, where it is something that imparts motion. As such it could be an electric motor, a person, or even an engine.

[richard 384]

Is that why we drive motorcars and not enginecars.

(I have lots of time this arvo )

[gjm 3258]

We drive motor cars because that's what they were originally called. Motorized horseless carriages. Had they been called engineered horseless carriages, perhaps we would drive engine cars.

[richard 384]

good point.!!!!

I"ll get back to you on that.

[MLM 57]

http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/engine.htm