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amoveo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word amoveo

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*mewh₁-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin moveo
Latin demoveo
Latin amoveo
Latin permoveo
Latin admoveo
Latin dimoveo

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [aːˈmɔ.we.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [aˈmɔː.ve.o][1]

Forms

āmoveō (present infinitive āmovēre, perfect active āmōvī, supine āmōtum); second conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ab- (“away from”) + moveō (“to move”).[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨moveō⟩ to Proto-Italic *mow(a)-, from Proto-Indo-European *mi̯ewh₁- (“to move”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of getting rid of a person and keeping one's mind away from something.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to make a person go away, remove, and reflexively to withdraw, as in Plautus and Cicero; in Tacitus to banish, and in Cicero and Quintilian to remove from office; to take things away, especially illegally, as in Cicero and the jurists; to keep the mind or a feeling away from something; and to dispel fear or remove suspicion, as in Terence.[2][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to put aside, remove, turn away.[6] English amove and Spanish and Portuguese amover are borrowed from it.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[2][4]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of dispelling fear.[2][4]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of exile.[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To send away, get rid of, remove, (reflexive) to withdraw.[2]
  2. To banish; to remove from office.[2]
  3. To take away (things), especially illegally.[2]
  4. To keep (the mind, a feeling) away from.[2]
  5. To dispel, allay (fear, suspicion).[2]

Word family

  • āmōtiō
  • āmōtus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Amoveo.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/amoveo. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·