motor boatn.
/ˈməʊtəbəʊt/, U.S. /ˈmoʊdərˌboʊt/ A motor-driven boat or launch.Quot. 1871 is from a list of exhibits at the Naples Maritime Exhibition, and must refer to a boat driven by some sort of mechanical device.
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > mechanically propelled vessels > [noun] > motor vessel
powerboat1830
motor boat1871
motor vessel1931
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > pleasure vessel > [noun] > motorboat
motor boat1871
cabin cruiser1921
motor cruiser1921
runabout1932
cruiser1971
1871 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 28 Apr. 489/2 There is also a model of a motor boat of the fourteenth century.
1890 Ann. Rep. Comm. on Sewers Worcester, Mass. xii. 43 When the stock had to be carried long distances, a motor boat was used to tow the scow.
1902 New Liberal Rev. Apr. 440 The paraffin motor..is..impossible in anything but an open motor-boat.
1913 E. F. Benson Thorley Weir i. 11 If I must go on the river, give me a motor-boat.
1941 Life 4 Aug. 54/1 In water-skiing the skiers hang on to a 75-ft. rope behind a speeding motorboat and skim along the water as fast as 45 m.p.h.
1973 Fisheries Fact Sheet (Environment Canada Fisheries & Marine Service) No. 1. 2/2 Individual fishermen fishing near their homes from small row-boats or motor-boats.
1991 Motor Boat & Yachting Jan. 153/2 Any motor boat owner who is..wanting to go anywhere out of UK shipping forecast range, would do well to invest in a weather satellite receiver.
2000 P. Scanlan in J. Adams et al. Girls' Night In 236 There were no motor boats or hang gliders or pedalos in sight.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1871