mero motu

adverb

(Of) one's own accord.

OriginLatin motu mero →
First used 17th c.
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Meanings

adverbmero motu (not comparable)

alternative ex mero motu

  1. not comparablelaw(Of) one's own accord.First known use 17th c.

    I charge thee, write not a word to me in her favour, if thou meanest her well; for if I spare her, it must be all ex mero motu.

    1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter CCVII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
of one's own accord

Origin

  1. Latinmōtus“motion, movement”
  2. Latinmotu mero
  3. Englishmero motu

From post-classical Latin motu mero (with transposition of elements), ablative of motus merus (“free impulse, volition”), from classical Latin mōtus (“motion, movement”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mero motu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mero%20motu

MLA

“mero motu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mero%20motu. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mero motu,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mero%20motu.

Source: mero motu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.