Etymology

electromotive

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Today it means: of, relating to, or producing the movement of electrons (an electric current) Full definition →

English motive ← Middle English motif ← Late Latin mōtīvum
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The story

  1. Frenchélectro-
  2. Ancient Greekἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron)
  3. Latinēlectrum
  4. Latinelectro-
  5. Englishelectro-
  6. Anglo-Normanmotif
  7. Middle Frenchmotif
  8. Proto-Indo-European*m(y)ewh₁-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*m(y)owh₁éyeti
  10. Proto-Italic*moweō
  11. Latinmoveō
  12. Latinmōtus
  13. Late Latinmōtīvum
  14. Middle Englishmotif
  15. Englishmotive
  16. English todayelectromotive

From electro- + motive.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.