motorize

To motorize something means to add a motor or engine to it, changing it from something moved by hand or by animals into something powered by a machine. Think of the shift from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles: that is motorization in action. The word is often used for vehicles, but you can also motorize a gate, a bicycle, or a piece of equipment. The idea is simple: something that once needed muscle now runs with motor power.

Imagine a world where almost everything moved by muscle, human or animal. Then came the age of engines, and with it, the ability to motorize things. To motorize something is to equip it with a motor or engine, changing it from manual or animal power to machine power. In many cases, that simple change completely alters how the thing is used.

Historically, motorization changed daily life. Farmers began to motorize their work, replacing horses and hand tools with tractors and other powered machines. Cities saw the motorization of transport as cars, buses, and trucks replaced horse-drawn vehicles and changed the shape of urban life.

Today, people still motorize all sorts of things. You might motorize a bicycle with an electric kit, or a company might motorize part of its equipment or fleet. The word is most natural when it refers to adding real motor power to something physical.

While the word often brings vehicles to mind, it is not limited to them. Anything can be motorized if a motor is added to do the work that people or animals once did. So when you see something that used to rely on muscle but now runs on a motor, you are seeing the result of motorization.