motive
/ˈməʊtɪv/
An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting.
An incentive to act in a particular way; a reason or emotion that makes one want to do something; anything that prompts a choice of action.
A limb or other bodily organ that can move.
Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour.
No-one could understand why she had hidden the shovel; her motives were obscure at best.
A motif.
A motif; a theme or subject, especially one that is central to the work or often repeated.
If you listen carefully, you can hear the flutes mimicking the cello motive.