English
remover
Remover comes from Old French removoir ‘to separate’, from Latin removeō ‘to remove, take away’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- ‘to move’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)ewh₁-1‘to move’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)owh₁éyeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moweō1‘to move’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoveō1‘to move, stir, set in motion’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEremoveō1‘to remove, take away’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400removoir1‘to separate’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400remover1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500removen1
- English1500–presentremove1
- Englishearliest quotation 1625remover1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English remover
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Fortune: “A hasty fortune maketh an enterpriser and remover”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)ewh₁-Wiktionary, English remover‘to move’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)owh₁éyetiWiktionary, English removerreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moweōWiktionary, English remover‘to move’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoveōWiktionary, English remover‘to move, stir, set in motion’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEremoveōWiktionary, English remover‘to remove, take away’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400removoirWiktionary, English remover‘to separate’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400removerWiktionary, English remover
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500removenWiktionary, English remover
- English1500–presentremoveWiktionary, English remover
- Englishearliest quotation 1625removerWiktionary, English remover. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Fortune: “A hasty fortune maketh an enterpriser and remover”
A compound of remove + -er
Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- ‘to move’
…
Latin removeō ‘to remove’
Old French removoir ‘to separate’
Anglo-Norman remover
Middle English removen
English remove
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, automotive, promoter, immobile, emotionless, 86 more
through Latin moveō ‘to move, stir, set in motion’
mobile, auto, promote, emotional, motor, promotion, mobility, emotion, remote, motive, motivate, motif, mobilization, mobilize, mobilisation, motility, mobilise, motile, emote, 66 more
Today it means
noun An agitator.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “remover”. 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- / remover