Etymograph

English

cytomotive

Cytomotive comes from Latin moveō ‘to move, stir, set in motion’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)ewh₁-1‘to move’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)owh₁éyeti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moweō1‘to move’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoveō1‘to move, stir, set in motion’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōtus1
  6. Late Latinmodernmōtīvum1
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500motif1
  8. English1500–presentmotive1
  9. Englishtodaycytomotive1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English cytomotive

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)ewh₁-Wiktionary, English cytomotive‘to move’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)owh₁éyetiWiktionary, English cytomotivereconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moweōWiktionary, English cytomotive‘to move’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoveōWiktionary, English cytomotive‘to move, stir, set in motion’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōtusWiktionary, English cytomotive
  6. Late LatinmodernmōtīvumWiktionary, English cytomotive
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500motifWiktionary, English cytomotive
  8. English1500–presentmotiveWiktionary, English cytomotive
  9. EnglishtodaycytomotiveWiktionary, English cytomotive

A compound of cyto- + motive

Ancient Greek κύτος ‘container, receptacle’

English cyto-

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- ‘to move’

…

Latin moveō ‘to move, stir, set in motion’

Latin mōtus

Late Latin mōtīvum

Middle English motif

English motive

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- ‘to move’

motion, remover, 82 more

through Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh₁éyeti

movement, mover, 83 more

through Proto-Italic *moweō ‘to move’

move, momentum, automobile, promoter, immobile, emotionless, 85 more

through Latin moveō ‘to move, stir, set in motion’

mobile, remove, auto, emotional, promote, remote, motor, mobility, promotion, emotion, removable, mobilize, mobilization, mobilisation, mobilise, emote, 64 more

through Latin mōtus

motif, motility, motile, 17 more

through English motive

motivate, automotive, 7 more

Today it means

adj Relating to, or generating the movement of cells

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “cytomotive”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- / cytomotive

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