English
motif
Motif comes from French motif ‘motive’, from Late Latin mōtīvus ‘stirred’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- ‘to move’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)ewh₁-‘to move’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)owh₁éyetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moweō‘to move’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoveō‘to move, stir, set in motion’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōtus
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmōtīvus‘stirred’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentmotif‘motive’
- Englishtodaymotif
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)ewh₁-‘to move’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)owh₁éyetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moweō‘to move’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoveō‘to move, stir, set in motion’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōtus
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmōtīvus‘stirred’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentmotif‘motive’
- Englishtodaymotif
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- ‘to move’
through Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh₁éyeti
through Proto-Italic *moweō ‘to move’
move, momentum, automobile, promoter, immobile, emotionless, 85 more
through Latin moveō ‘to move, stir, set in motion’
mobile, auto, remove, promote, emotional, motor, remote, mobility, promotion, emotion, removable, mobilize, mobilization, mobilisation, mobilise, emote, 64 more
through Latin mōtus
Today it means
noun A recurring or dominant element; an artistic theme.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- / motif