Where does “motif” come from?
motif (French) comes from Medieval Latin motivum, from Latin mōtivus, from Latin mōtus, from Latin -tus, from Proto-Italic -tus, from Proto-Indo-European -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.
motif (French): motive; motif; pattern, design
Definitions
- motive; motif; pattern, design
Ancestry of “motif”, step by step
motif traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Medieval Latin motivum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | motivum | nominative neuter singular of mōtīvus; accusative... |
| 2 | Latin | mōtivus | stirred |
| 3 | Latin | mōtus | moved, stirred, disturbed, having been moved |
| 4 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |