What is the difference in an Engine, and a Motor?

[RandomGuy]

engine is what is in a car, a motor is a name for anything (electric/gas/air) thats causes something to do whats its supposed too.

engines are in - car, mower, go cart, plane

motors are in - all the above, impact guns, remote control cars, ceiling fans, power garage doors

thats my input, sounds good to me

I agree with this guy the most

if so then why is an engine/tranny commonly referred to as a motorset?

More specifically i'd call my Longblock a motor, where the engine is the whole 9 yards, the longblock, manifolds, alternator, etc... Which is why when you go to the machine shop, they refer to everything as motors.

For example. Would you call a contraption which turns air pressure from an air compressor into mechanical motion through the use of a turbine an engine? I'd call it a motor. No electricity involved (except for maybe the spark in the compressor ENGINE lol, but thats irrelevant) There is a "motor" inside an air impact, a car, a turbine engine for a jet, a motor in a r/c car.

If motor always referred to an electric motor, then why would people specify when saying "Electric motor", wouldn't they just say motor?

Proper use of either word wouldn't make any sense today within this context, and thats the point. They are both Latin, and the meanings change with every dictionary you look at.

This is true, even moreso they change from place to place as well. In Pakistan/India the word "motor" refers to an "automobile"...

[DieselNuts]

If motor always referred to an electric motor, then why would people specify when saying "Electric motor", wouldn't they just say motor?

Why do people call an Automatic Teller Machine an "ATM machine"?