Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “motivator” come from?

Motivator comes from English motivate, derived from Middle French motif and Latin motive, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -tós, a suffix forming adjectives from verbal roots.

motivator (English): agent noun of motivate; one who motivates

Definitions

  1. agent noun of motivate; one who motivates

Ancestry of “motivator”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmotivateTo provide someone with an incentive to do...
2English-atehaving the specified thing; characterized by the...
3English-cyUsed to form nouns of state, condition or quality...
4Anglo-Norman-cie—
5Latin-tiaoffice, rank
6Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
7Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
8Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
9Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →