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The term prime mover is an English translation of the Latin Primum Mobile. The original latin refers to a "first cause" of motion in the theological sense, and was used during the scholastic era to explain how God was the cause of all movement and hence of all life in the world.

It is used nowadays to describe the main power source which supports a number of subsidiary functions, commonly in industrial applications. For instance, the engine which pulls a semi-trailer is sometimes referred to as a prime mover, while a catalogue of large electric motors for powering industrial equipment might be titled 'Prime Movers'. The implication is that the 'Prime Mover' is the ultimate source of all mechanical movement in the system. As an example, in the case of an automobile, the engine is the prime mover whilst associated equipment such as the electrical generator, power steering pump, fuel pump etc. are secondary movers.

The term may also be used to describe an entire vehicle in the case of ballast tractors, semi-trailer tractor units, in Australian English and in military settings. In a military context, the unit used to haul an artillery piece is generally referred to as its prime mover. For instance, the US Army refers to their Humvees used to tow howitzers as prime movers.

In Diesel-electric locomotives, prime mover refers to the Diesel engine that drives the generator or alternator. In this case, the traction motors are considered part of the power transmission system rather than prime movers themselves.

As can be seen above, the term proves quite versatile. Besides the mechanical connotation of the term (engines, vehicles), and the cosmological/theological/philosophical meaning (god/goddess/principle in philosophy; cf. Aristotle), the term 'prime mover' may be used generally to describe any important centre of power which services subsidiary services.

The term may be used in the context of human beings. Individuals can be described as prime movers (inventors, industrial or military leaders^[1]) as well as groups of people (companies^[2]) or creative groups of artists.^[3]

The mindset in this rather psychological or sociological application can be named prime movership.^[4] The term is not only in use on the psychological side; it also can be found in the context of physics. Muscles, which are decisive for sports performance or crafts are called prime movers.^[5] The human brain is being described as the prime mover for the evolution of mankind.

Hence, various publications make use of the term prime mover in their titles.

An important aspect is the use as a meme, which most probably emerged with industrialization, where machines/prime movers themselves became the driving force of progress (machining tools, drives, locomotives, ships, cars, etc.).

Groups or individuals use the notion as a corporate or individual claim, to be prime movers in their line of business or activity (examples: a psychedelic band of the 1980s: The Prime Movers, a world leading producer of large Diesel engines; MAN B&W Diesel AG, companies removing furniture; Prime Movers etc.).

The driving force within an individual or group of people or a state of being is sometimes named with the Latin term of a primum movens or "primum mobile". Prime Movership stands for the quality of being a prime mover, i. e. the first to move, to create or to reach a state, which has not been reached by many or others at all before. Prime Movership has been specifically defined as "the mind-set of value creation".^[6]

1. ^ cf. "The Prime Movers - Traits of the great wealth creators", Edwin A. Locke, 2000
2. ^ cf. "Prime Movers - Define your business or have somebody define it against you", Rafael Ramirez and Johan Wallin, 2000
3. ^ cf. "Prime Movers - The makers of modern dance in America" Joseph H. Mazo, 2000
4. ^ cf. "Reframing Landscape - How the map changes the landscape", Richard Norman, 2001
5. ^ cf. "Prime Mover - A natural history of muscle", by Steven Vogel, 2001
6. ^ cf. Richard Norman, "Reframing Business - How the Map changes the landscape", 2001

• Pictures of an extremely large container ship engine