Etymograph

English

submovement

Submovement comes from Old French movoir ‘to move’, 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 CEmovēre1
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400movoir1‘to move’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400movement1
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mevement1
  8. English1500–presentmovement1
  9. Englishtodaysubmovement1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English submovement

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)ewh₁-Wiktionary, English submovement‘to move’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)owh₁éyetiWiktionary, English submovementreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moweōWiktionary, English submovement‘to move’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmovēreWiktionary, English submovement
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400movoirWiktionary, English submovement‘to move’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400movementWiktionary, English submovement
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mevementWiktionary, English submovement
  8. English1500–presentmovementWiktionary, English submovement
  9. EnglishtodaysubmovementWiktionary, English submovement

A compound of sub- + movement

Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up; from below’

Proto-Italic *supo ‘under’

Latin sub ‘under, beneath, below’

English sub-

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

…

Latin moveō ‘to move’

Old French movoir ‘to move’

Old French movement

Middle English mevement

English movement

Linked words

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

motion, 82 more

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

automobile, automotive, promoter, immobile, emotionless, remover, 82 more

through Proto-Italic *moweō ‘to move’

mobile, auto, promote, emotional, motor, promotion, remote, remove, mobility, emotion, motive, momentum, motivate, motif, mobilization, mobilize, removable, mover, mobilisation, motility, mobilise, motile, emote, 88 more

through Latin movēre

move, 24 more

Today it means

noun A movement making up part of a larger movement.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “submovement”. 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- / submovement

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