Etymology of the French word motif
the Old French word
motifderived from the Latin word
motivus (stirred; moved)
derived from the Latin word
movere (move, stir, agitate)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*meuə-derived from the Latin word
motare (set in motion, shake, stir)
Date
The earliest known usage of motif in French dates from the 14th century.
Derivations in French
motiver,
motivalDerivations in other languages
English
motif, English
motiveCognates
Catalan
motiu, Dutch
motief, English
motive, German
Motiv, Icelandic
mótíf, Italian
motivo, Lithuanian
motyvas, Polish
motyw, Russian
мoтив, Swedish
motiv, Yiddish
motivUsage
Word found in Old French
