smuovere

Forms

smuovere (first-person singular present smuòvo, first-person singular past historic smòssi, past participle smòsso, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *exmoveō (“to move away”), formed with ex- and moveō (“to move”), in place of classical Latin ēmoveō (“to move out, remove”).^[2][3][4][1] The Latin prefix gives the Italian s-,^[5] and the stem has been reshaped on muovere.^[5][6] Treccani and the GDLI note a change of conjugation from the Latin.^[7][8]

The same verb is French émouvoir and Occitan esmover;^[9] with another prefix, Friulian has dismovi (“to wake”).^[9] Wiktionary compares Sicilian smòviri.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is the form ismuovere in a 13th-century vernacular Seneca, with the sense “to move (the heart)”.^[2] Zingarelli dates the word before 1292.^[5] GRADIT's first date, before 1313, is for the sense “to make someone leave a place”.^[10]

Semantic evolution

In the 14th century Giovanni Villani uses smuovere for turning someone from a purpose and smuoversi for changing one's mind, and Petrarch for moving someone to feeling.^[2] Boccaccio has it for shifting something heavy: Ferondo pushes the lid of his tomb with his head until, ismossolo (“having shifted it”), he begins to push it away.^[2][8] The reflexive sense of coming loose is dated before 1770.^[2]

Today the verb also means to stir or turn over soil and to rouse someone from apathy.^[10][4] Colloquial smuovere il corpo is to loosen the bowels, and smuovere le acque to get a stagnant situation moving.^[11][7]

Timeline

• 13th century – Ismuovere “to move (the heart)” is used in a vernacular Seneca.^[2]
• Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses smuovere “to turn from a purpose”.^[2]
• Before 1353 – Boccaccio uses it for shifting a heavy object.^[2]
• Before 1374 – Petrarch has the form smuovere “to move to feeling”.^[2]
• Before 1770 – Smuoversi “to come loose” is first recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To shift, with effort, something heavy or stuck: In tre non riuscivamo a smuovere la cassapanca.^[10][11][5]
2. (transitive) To stir or turn over the surface of something; to hoe or dig the soil.^[10][11][4]
3. (transitive) To get someone to move from where they are.^[10][11][7]
4. (transitive, figurative) To dissuade, to turn someone from an idea or purpose.^[10][5][4]
5. (transitive, figurative) To move, touch, sway someone's feelings.^[10][5]
6. (transitive, figurative) To rouse from apathy or inertia.^[10][4][7]
7. (pronominal) Of things, to come loose or budge; of people, to stir oneself or change one's mind.^[5][4]

Word family

• smosso
• smovitura
• smovitore

Related words

• muovere
• Latin ēmoveō
• French émouvoir

Usage notes

Smovere is a popular or literary variant.^[11][7][5] Smuovere le montagne is listed among the set phrases.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
7. ^ a b c d e Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
8. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 19, 196
9. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
11. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier