motor scooter
2
3.5
- noun
- /ˈmoʊtər ˈskuːtər/
:
scooter
- The biggest symbol of Carlos's wife's success overseas, however, was his motorcycle—which set him apart from other men in town who putted around on mere motor scooters.
- ride a motor scooter
- drive a motor scooter
- get on a motor scooter
Examples
-
He sits astride a motor scooter.
Fiction book (1997) -
Motor scooters, increasing at a rate of about 20 percent a year, could well number 36 million by the turn of the century.
Academic text (1995) -
Kids loved them, but kids ride motor scooters now.
-
It was a motor scooter on its stand, twenty yards away near some trees.
Fiction book (1994) -
A mailman on his red motor scooter and a cat leaping off a wall are only distractions.
Fiction book (1996) -
Being continually short of money, I would drive my wreck of a motor scooter down to Cadiz every summer, stay with my uncle, rent a board, and go windsurfing.
Fiction book (2002) -
It pays considerably more than cleaning hotel rooms (a typical job for women in Sosa) or driving a motor scooter taxi (a typical job for men in Sosa).
Academic text (2004) -
I rode my new motor scooter through the city to avoid the traffic jams.
-
She loves exploring the countryside on her motor scooter during summer weekends.
-
Many students use a motor scooter to get to campus quickly and easily.
Synonyms
27
1.6
A two-wheeled vehicle with a motor for one or two people
25
2.5
A light two-wheeled motor vehicle with a small engine and a flat area for feet
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'motor scooter' is directly compositional: a scooter that has a motor. Both constituents 'motor' and 'scooter' are concrete, high-frequency nouns and the compound follows a common noun+noun formation found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily infer the overall meaning. This transparent, literal relation makes the MWE immediately understandable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Motor scooter shows its meaning in two simple images: motor for the small engine and scooter for the low, flat board where you put your feet, like a child's push scooter. So the name came to mean 'a small, low-powered motorcycle with a flat place for the rider's feet', perfect for short city trips.