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motor yacht

motor yacht

1 3.5
A large private boat with engines used for pleasure cruising
  • noun
  • /ˈmoʊtər jɑt/
translation icon : yate a motor
  • The luxurious motor yacht glided effortlessly across the ocean, attracting envious looks from other boaters.
  • motor yacht with three cabins

Examples

  • I got out of bed, careful of those floor splinters and not looking into the pink bedroom with its mirrors when I passed it, and I went to the front living room with its large picture window to see the motor yacht's cabin lights glowing.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Sailboats and motor yachts crowded one another at the private docks along the harbor.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • But the motor yacht was quite different.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • They were taking some time off from what they called "rough-necking" there to return this motor yacht to its port in Alaska for the man who owned it and who had left it, as they said, "somewhere else" before flying home, though they never revealed exactly where the "somewhere else" was.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • A magnificent hand-built 75-foot motor yacht docked at the marina.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • In Austin, the event group has had to change its schtick; there's no way to navigate one 150-foot motor yacht into Austin's Lady Bird Lake.

    Blog text (10)
  • In 1930, when the vessel slid off the ways at the G. L. Watson boatyard in Glasgow, she was among the most graceful motor yachts ever to sail the seas.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • "Sure." Quinn saluted Fontayne's sleek fifty-foot motor yacht bobbing serenely at the dock.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • On a warm summer day, we enjoyed a relaxing cruise on our new motor yacht through the clear waters of the bay.

  • He rented a spacious motor yacht for the weekend to celebrate his birthday with family and friends.

Synonyms

boat
vsmotor yacht
1.0

A small vehicle used on water to carry people, like a rowboat or motorboat

is larger and intended for longer recreational cruising with engines
vessel
vsmotor yacht
698 3.3

A large boat or ship used for travel on water

is a narrower recreational type typically used for pleasure cruising
yacht
vsmotor yacht
130 5.3

A large expensive boat for pleasure and sometimes for racing, often with sails and sometimes a motor

is specifically a leisure craft powered mainly by engines for recreation
cruiser
vsmotor yacht
36 5.4

A large motorboat with rooms where people live while traveling

is the same leisure use but emphasises engine power for cruising
watercraft
vsmotor yacht
4 3.9

A boat or ship that carries people and things on water

is a specific recreational, engine-powered example within that broad category
cabin cruiser
vsmotor yacht
2 5.3

A large motorboat with a cabin, toilet and small kitchen for living on board

is focused on engine-driven recreation rather than just onboard living features
pleasure craft
vsmotor yacht
1 5.1

A large motorboat with a cabin and bathroom for living on board

is the same recreational idea but stresses engine propulsion for cruising
pleasure boat
vsmotor yacht
1 3.4

A boat with a motor and a cabin where people live and relax

limits this to craft that are engine powered for cruising use

How Big

superyacht
1 7.3
motor yacht
1 3.5
speedboat
27 2.4
dinghy
18 4.8

Surface Forms

motor yacht singular
motor yachts plural

Morphology

motor + yacht

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'motor' (an engine-producing motion) with 'yacht' (a large pleasure boat): it denotes a yacht powered by engines rather than sails. This simple noun+noun compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows straightforward English modification, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand it.

Etymology

Motor yacht starts with yacht, a word that comes from the Dutch 'jacht' meaning 'to hunt' and once named fast boats used for chasing. When these boats got engines, people added motor, so motor yacht today means a large 'pleasure boat' with engines.