Etymologically
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immobile

Etymology and origin of the French word immobile

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1370–72, Nicole Oresme, Éthiques
Borrowed from
Latin immobilis
Ultimate origin
Latin (moveō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /i.mɔ.bil/[1]

Forms

immobile (plural immobiles)[1] Old French immoble (13th century), the regular form, which survives as immeuble.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin immōbilis (“motionless; immovable, steadfast”),[2][5][6][7][8][1] from in- (“not”) and mōbilis (“movable”) (see mobile),[2][5][7] from moveō (“to move”).[3] Jean de Meun (about 1265) already has a noun immobil (“immobility”).[5][7][4] It is a doublet of immeuble.[1]

Compare Old Occitan immoble, Spanish inmoble and Italian immobile.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Nicole Oresme's translation of Aristotle's Ethics (1370–72) uses it for what does not move, what is fixed.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

The adjective kept the Latin range, said of things and of people.[5] It describes a person who remains motionless under a strong emotion (Corneille, 1636), what is fixed once and for all, unchanging (Montaigne, 1580), and a firm, unshakeable person (1573); classical immobile à quelque chose “unmoved by” has disappeared.[5][9] Its derivatives include immobilité (1314), immobiliser (Cyrano de Bergerac, 1654; earlier immobiliter, 1507) and immobilisme (Fourier, 1829).[6][5]

Timeline

  • c. 1265 – The noun immobil, Jean de Meun.[9]
  • 1314 – immobilité.[6]
  • 1370–72 – The adjective, Oresme.[2]
  • 1580 – “Fixed, unchanging”, Montaigne.[5]
  • 1636 – “Motionless with emotion”, Corneille.[5]
  • 1654 – immobiliser, Cyrano de Bergerac.[5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. motionless, still: rester immobile, mer immobile; of a vehicle, stationary.[3][1]
  2. That does not move by nature: on croyait la terre immobile.[3]
  3. (figurative) Fixed, unchanging; of a person, steadfast, unshakeable.[5][3]

Word family

  • immobilement
  • immobilité
  • immobiliser
  • immobilisme

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 573a
  9. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Immobile.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/immobile. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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