Etymograph

English

nonmotive

Nonmotive 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. Englishtodaynonmotive1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English nonmotive

Lineage

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

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

through Latin mōtus

motif, motility, motile, 17 more

through English motive

automotive, motivate, 7 more

Today it means

adj Not motive.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “nonmotive”. 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- / nonmotive

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