A cewar ƙamus, “motar mota” tana nufin abin hawa mai sarrafa kansa da ake amfani da shi don sufuri a ƙasa, kamar mota, babbar mota, bas, ko babur. Yana aiki da injin konewa na ciki, injin lantarki, ko wasu hanyoyin motsa jiki, kuma an tsara shi don amfani da shi akan titunan jama'a da manyan tituna. Kalmar “motoci” ta fito ne daga kalmar Helenanci “autos,” ma’ana kai, da kalmar Latin “motivus,” ma’ana motsi, waɗanda tare suke nuna abin hawa mai motsi da kai.