Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “motus” come from?

motus (French) comes from French mot, from Middle French mot, from Old French mot, from Medieval Latin mota, from Frankish *mot, from Proto-Germanic *motta, from Proto-Germanic mutô, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mut- — dark, dirty.

motus (French): "interjection to request silence"; Hush!, Quiet!

Definitions

  1. "interjection to request silence"; Hush!, Quiet!

Ancestry of “motus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmotword; note, message
2Middle Frenchmotword
3Old Frenchmotword; Alternative form of molt
4Medieval Latinmotaa mound, hill; nominative feminine singular of...
5Frankish*mot—
6Proto-Germanic*motta—
7Proto-Germanicmutô—
8Proto-Indo-European(s)mut-dark, dirty
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mut- →