D defs.my
Entry 3 senses Webster, 1913

motivation

· IPA /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/
01 n. The act or process of motivating.
  1. 1.
    The act or process of motivating.
  2. 2.
    The mental process that arouses an organism to action; as, a large part of a teacher's job is to give students the motivation to learn on their own.
  3. 3.
    The goal or mental image of a goal that creates a motivation{2}; as, the image of a peaceful world is a powerful motivation for only a rare few individuals.
Syn. motive, need.