Where does “motief” come from?
motief (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch motief, from Middle Dutch motijf, from French motif, from Medieval Latin motivum, from Latin mōtivus, from Latin mōtus, from Latin -tus, from Proto-Italic -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.
motief (Afrikaans): A motive
Definitions
- A motive
Ancestry of “motief”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | motief | a motive |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | motijf | — |
| 3 | French | motif | motive; motif; pattern, design |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | motivum | nominative neuter singular of mōtīvus; accusative... |
| 5 | Latin | mōtivus | stirred |
| 6 | Latin | mōtus | moved, stirred, disturbed, having been moved |
| 7 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |