emotion (English)
Where does "emotion" come from?
The English noun 'emotion' was borrowed from Middle French 'emotion'[1], which is based on the Latin past participle 'ēmōtus'[1]. This Latin term originates from 'ēmoveō', meaning 'to move out, move away, remove, stir up, or irritate'[1], formed by combining the prefix 'ex-' meaning 'out of' with 'moveō' meaning 'to move'[3]. The ultimate ancestral root reaches back to the Proto-Indo-European '*m(y)ewh₁-', which also means 'to move'[4].
Open questions
- The Proto-Indo-European root '*m(y)ewh₁-' is a reconstructed form. [4]
Full etymology tree
- emotion (English), 'Movement; agitation.'
- borrowed emotion (Middle French)
- derived émouvoir (French), 'to move emotionally; to touch'
- derived emotus (Latin), 'removed'
- derived emoveo (Latin), 'to move out or away, remove; dislodge; expel'
- prefix e- (Latin), 'alternative form of ex- (combining with b-, d-, g-, j-, l-, m-, n-, r-, and v-initial words)'
- derived moveo (Latin), 'to move, stir, set in motion'
- inherited *moweō (Proto-Italic), 'to move'
- inherited *m(y)ewh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to move'
- inherited *moweō (Proto-Italic), 'to move'
- derived emoveo (Latin), 'to move out or away, remove; dislodge; expel'
- derived emotus (Latin), 'removed'
- derived émouvoir (French), 'to move emotionally; to touch'
- borrowed emotion (Middle French)
Ancestors
- *m(y)ewh₁- (Proto-Indo-European)
- emotus (Latin)
Cognates and doublets
- émotion (French)
Descendants and derived words
- emoticon (English)
- appeal to emotion (English)
- counteremotion (English)
- ememe (English)
- emotag (English)
- emotionable (English)
- emotional (English)
- emotional (English)
- emotioned (English)
- emotionful (English)
- emotioning (English)
- emotionize (English)
Sources
- emotion (English) - Wiktionary
- emotus (Latin) - Wiktionary
- emoveo (Latin) - Wiktionary
- moveo (Latin) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris