Where does “locomotive” come from?
locomotive (French) comes from Vulgar Latin motivus, from Latin motus, from Latin movere, from Latin moveo, from Proto-Italic moweō, from Proto-Indo-European mew- — to move.
locomotive (French): feminine singular of locomotif; locomotive
Definitions
- feminine singular of locomotif; locomotive
Ancestry of “locomotive”, step by step
locomotive traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Vulgar Latin motivus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vulgar Latin | motivus | moving; stirred; moved |
| 2 | Latin | motus | moved, stirred, disturbed, having been moved;... |
| 3 | Latin | movere | present active infinitive of moveō; second-person... |
| 4 | Latin | moveo | I move, stir, set in motion; I disturb, shake,... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | moweō | to move |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mew- | to move |