proto-emotion

British, Southern, Standard/ˈpɹəw.təw.ɪˌməw.ʃən/Canada, US/ˈpɹoʊ̯.toʊ̯.ɪˌmoʊ̯.ʃən/Canada, US/ˈpɹoʊ̯.toʊ̯.iˌmoʊ̯.ʃən/

noun

An impression that could evolve into an emotion in the course of personality development.

Meanings

nounproto-emotion (countable and uncountable, plural proto-emotions)

plural proto-emotions · alternative protoemotion

  1. countableuncountableAn impression that could evolve into an emotion in the course of personality development.
    3 more examples

    Wiley argues that cognitive and emotional theories of the self are partially correct and complementary, that “the self is constituted in a cognitively reflexive manner, but in addition it is powered by a kind of emotion, itself also reflexive” (1994, p. 114). In this regard, he contends that “the James-Cooley self-feeling, particularly at its core, is not an emotion in the ordinary sense but rather an energy or force (or ‘proto-emotion’), similar to Durkheim’s semiotic solidarity.

    2010 April 26, Neil J. MacKinnon, David R. Heise, “Seven: Theories of Identities and Selves”, in Self, Identity, and Social Institutions, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, →DOI, page 184

    Emotions and feelings, on Scrutton’s account, are represented by a plethora of words in Latin, none of which convey what modern accounts of emotion seek to convey. However, Augustine’s account of the nature of feelings (what can generally be described as emotions), is important for moving forward in the philosophy of love and emotions. Love, for Augustine, is not an emotion at all, and neither is it a proto-emotion.

    2021 May 5, Patricia L. Grosse, “When the Love Is Bad”, in Claude-Hélène Mayer, Elisabeth Vanderheiden, editors, International Handbook of Love, Berlin: Springer, →DOI, page 724

    For clients they can often be quite alarmed if they are experiencing these emotions and will compare themselves to other people and say: “there’s something wrong with me, why are my emotions like this, when other people report their emotions like this, they’re amazing,” so you know I will have them pump the brakes and say like you're experiencing proto-emotion and we have to go through those steps before it can feel more handleable.

    2025 February 1, Kirk Honda, 1:29:33 from the start, in HealthyGamerGG, director, Avoidant Personality Disorder Deep Dive

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pér
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pró
  4. Ancient Greekπρό (pró)
  5. Ancient Greekπρῶτος (prôtos)
  6. Ancient Greekπρωτο- (prōto-)
  7. Englishproto-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰ
  9. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰs
  10. Proto-Italic*eks
  11. Latinex
  12. Latinex-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*m(y)ewh₁-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*m(y)owh₁éyeti
  15. Proto-Italic*moweō
  16. Latinmoveō
  17. Latinēmoveō
  18. Vulgar Latin*exmovēre
  19. Old Frenchesmovoir
  20. Middle Frenchesmouvoir
  21. Middle Frenchemotion
  22. Englishemotion
  23. Englishproto-emotion

From proto- + emotion.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

proto-emotion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proto-emotion

MLA

“proto-emotion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proto-emotion. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “proto-emotion,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proto-emotion.

Source: proto-emotion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.