Etymologically
Log in

moto

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 20:31. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

moto1 motion

Pronunciation

Forms

moto m (plural moti)[1]

Etymology

The noun meaning “motion” is a learned word, borrowed from Latin mōtus (“movement”), a noun formed from the past participle of moveō (“to move”).[2][3][4][1] Besides “movement”, the Latin noun already meant “emotion, impulse” and “uprising”, the senses Italian took over with it.[3]

Devoto explains the long vowel of the Latin noun from an older participle *movitus, which stood to the verb as monitus stands to moneō.[5] De Vaan sets out the same history: mōtus goes back to Proto-Italic *mowe-to-, with the sequence ⟨-owe-⟩ restored after an older sound change, and the verb to a root Proto-Indo-European *meuH- (“to move”).[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record of the general sense “movement” is in Dante, in 1293–1294, and Dante also uses the word in 1304–1308 for the state of a body that is not at rest.[2] GRADIT dates the word to 1294.[4]

Semantic evolution

In the Paradiso (1313–1319) Dante already uses moto for an impulse or stirring of the mind.[2] In the 16th century the word gained the senses “gesture, movement of the body” (before 1566, Annibal Caro) and “popular rising, revolt” (before 1527, Machiavelli; 1533, Marin Sanudo), and the music of the 16th century used it for the course of the parts in a composition (1560, Francesco Patrizi).[2] DIFIT has an earlier musical record, in 1521, for the duration of the note values in mensural notation, and the musical term passed into German (1732), French (1703) and English (1740).[7]

The sense “walking, physical exercise” is recorded before 1556 in Pietro Aretino, and fare del moto “to take exercise” in Fanfani's Tuscan vocabulary of 1863.[2] From the Latin mōtor (“mover”) Italian has motore, first an adjective and a name for the movers of the heavens in Dante (1304–1308) and, from 1869 a machine that turns another energy into mechanical work.[2] DELI, quoting Migliorini, connects that technical sense with the internal-combustion engine patented by Eugenio Barsanti in 1854.[2] The plural moti still names the risings of the 19th century, such as those of 1821.[4][8]

Timeline

  • 1293–1294 – Dante uses moto for “movement”.[2]
  • 1304–1308 – Dante uses it for the state of a body in motion, and motore for the mover of the heavens.[2]
  • 1313–1319 – The sense “impulse, emotion” appears in Dante.[2]
  • 1521 – Moto is used for the duration of notes in mensural notation.[7]
  • Before 1527 – Machiavelli uses it for a popular rising.[2]
  • Before 1556 – Pietro Aretino uses it for walking as healthy exercise.[2]
  • 1740 – The musical term is recorded in English.[7]
  • 1863 – Fare del moto is recorded in Fanfani's Tuscan vocabulary.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. motion, movement: the passing of a body from one position to another; in physics, the state of a body that is not at rest: Il moto della Terra intorno al Sole dura un anno.[4][9][10]
  2. (philosophy) Change and becoming in general; in Aristotle's thought, the realisation of what exists in potential.[4]
  3. The running of a machine or engine, in moto “running”, mettere in moto “to start”, also figuratively of people set to work.[4][11]
  4. Walking or other physical activity taken as healthy exercise: Dopo cena faccio sempre un po' di moto.[4][8]
  5. A gesture or movement of the body, especially an involuntary one: un moto di sorpresa.[4][8]
  6. A sudden impulse or emotion: i moti del cuore.[4][12]
  7. (often plural) A popular rising, revolt: i moti carbonari.[4][8]
  8. (music) The course of a melodic line upwards or downwards: moto contrario, moto ascendente.[4][8]

Word family

moto2 motorcycle

Pronunciation

Forms

moto f (invariable)[1]

Etymology

The noun meaning “motorcycle” is a clipping from Italian motocicletta (“motorcycle”), like foto, auto, zoo and cine.[2][4][1] DEI compares French moto.[13] Its gender is that of the full word.[14]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Panzini's dictionary of new words, in 1931, which notes that the short form is feminine.[2][14]

Semantic evolution

Writers of the 20th century such as Pavese and Pratolini use the short form;[14] Panzini also noted that it makes many compounds with the meaning “motor” or “motorcycle”.[14] Such compounds include motoraduno, a rally of motorcyclists.[9] A moto d'acqua is a small motor craft driven by a water jet and steered with handlebars.[4][15]

Timeline

  • 1931 – Panzini's dictionary records moto as a short form of motocicletta.[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (colloquial) A motorcycle: Domenica andiamo al lago in moto.[4][9][8][1]

Word family

  • motoraduno

Usage notes

Il moto “motion” is masculine with the plural moti;[1][4] la moto “motorcycle” is feminine and does not change in the plural.[1][4] Old Italian also had a participle and adjective moto “moved”, from the participle Latin mōtus:[13] Dante's God “che tutto 'l ciel move, / non moto” (who moves all heaven, himself unmoved), Paradiso 24.[14][16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 289
  6. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  7. ^ a b c Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  8. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  9. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  10. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  11. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  12. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  13. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2520
  14. ^ a b c d e Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 11
  15. ^ Wikizionario (Italian Wiktionary), it.wiktionary.org
  16. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET