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prime mover

   Also found in: Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.09 sec.
prime mover
n.
1.
a. One regarded as the initial source of energy directed toward a goal: Patriotism was the prime mover of the revolution.
b. The initial force, such as electricity, wind, or gravity, that engages or moves a machine.
c. A machine or mechanism that converts natural energy into work. Also called primum mobile.
2. Any of various heavy-duty trucks or tractors.
3. Philosophy In Aristotelian philosophy, the self-moved being that causes all motion.
prime mover
Noun
a person or thing which was important in helping create an idea, situation, etc.: he was the prime mover behind the coup
A vehicle, including heavy construction equipment, possessing military characteristics, designed primarily for towing heavy, wheeled weapons and frequently providing facilities for the transportation of the crew of, and ammunition for, the weapon.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.prime mover - an agent that is the cause of all things but does not itself have a cause; "God is the first cause"
first cause, primum mobile
causal agency, causal agent, cause - any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The great Zola, or call him the immense Zola, was the prime mover in the attack upon the masters of the Romanticistic school; but he lived to own that he had fought a losing fight, and there are some proofs that he was right.
My Literary Passions by Howells,William Dean View in context
Noel Vanstone, in the most alarming language, that he is destined to become the victim of a conspiracy; and that the prime mover of it is a young lady who has already held written communication with his father and himself.
No Name by Collins, Wilkie View in context
) `I need not remind this audience that, though Professor Summerlee, as the head of the Committee of Investigation, has been put up to speak to-night, still it is I who am the real prime mover in this business, and that it is mainly to me that any successful result must be ascribed.
The Lost World by Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan View in context
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