locomotora

locomotive

noun loh-koh-moh-TOH-rah Rare

Origin: From Latin loco (from a place) + motivus (moving), coined in the 19th century.

Usage Note

Locomotora refers specifically to the engine unit that pulls a train, not the train as a whole (tren). In figurative and economic writing it is used metaphorically: la locomotora de la economía ('the engine of the economy'). The adjective locomotor (or locomotriz in the feminine) appears in medical contexts: sistema locomotor.

Examples

"La locomotora llegó antes que los vagones."

Natural Translation

The locomotive arrived before the carriages.

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