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View synonyms for motile

motile

[ moht-l, moh-til ]

adjective

  1. Biology. moving or capable of moving spontaneously:

    motile cells; motile spores.



motile

/ məʊˈtɪlɪtɪ; ˈməʊtaɪl /

adjective

  1. capable of moving spontaneously and independently
“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


noun

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

motile

/ mōtl,mōtīl′ /

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


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Derived Forms

  • motility, noun
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Other Words From

  • mo·til·i·ty [moh-, til, -i-tee], noun
  • non·mo·tile adjective
  • un·mo·tile adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of motile1

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

Origin of motile1

C19: from Latin mōtus moved, from movēre to move
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Example Sentences

So in 2019, a team of researchers decided to focus on the more powerful total motile sperm count.

They found that the proportion of men with a normal total motile sperm count had declined by approximately 10% over the previous 16 years.

A more accurate measure looks at the total motile sperm count, which evaluates the fraction of sperm that are able to swim and move.

Moreover, “a xenobot may be induced to fragment and form two small ones,” she said, “and maybe some cells will divide and differentiate into motile and nonmotile ones.”

Probably not by accident—EM3 was a vibrio species, belonging to a genus of motile, comma-shaped bacteria native to salt water.

The organism is an actively motile spiral thread, about four times the diameter of a red corpuscle in length.

These bacilli (Fig. 89) are large (5 to 10 long), non-motile, and usually arranged end to end in chains.

It is not unlike a pus-corpuscle in size and general appearance, but is actively motile.

Spirochte pallida is an extremely slender, spiral, motile thread, with pointed ends.

Cocci exhibit this movement, but with the exception of the Micrococcus agilis, the cocci are non-motile.

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motifmotility