*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of movie

From moving (picture) + -ie. Attested since at least 1912 (if not 1908), originally in American English.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A recorded sequence of images displayed on a screen at a rate sufficiently fast to create the appearance of motion; a film; a video. · A professionally made motion picture of a substantive narrative work, typically around 1 to 3 hours long, typically intended for cinema, art, entertainment, and a widespread audience; a feature film, theatrical film. · A cinema; a movie theatre. · Any event, especially one that is unpleasant or tiresome.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From moving (picture) + -ie. Attested since at least 1912 (if not 1908), originally in American English.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*m(y)ewh₁-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "",
        "3": "ie"
      },
      "expansion": "+ -ie"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "moving (picture)",
      "moving picture#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ie",
      "-ie#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "মুভী",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mubhi"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "মুভি",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mubhi"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "lang_code": "hi",
      "word": "मूवी",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mūvī"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "ムービー",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mūbī"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "word": "무비",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mubi"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Urdu",
      "lang_code": "ur",
      "word": "مُووِی",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mūvī"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "lang_code": "yi",
      "word": "מוּווי",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "muvi"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A recorded sequence of images displayed on a screen at a rate sufficiently fast to create the appearance of motion; a film; a video.",
        "A professionally made motion picture of a substantive narrative work, typically around 1 to 3 hours long, typically intended for cinema, art, entertainment, and a widespread audience; a feature film, theatrical film.",
        "A cinema; a movie theatre.",
        "Any event, especially one that is unpleasant or tiresome."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "Canada",
        "New-Zealand",
        "US",
        "plural-normally",
        "figuratively",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "ae80b2947d988036b849b1c7d5c18f785ac0759d61ba15e516238f759141d7ac",
      "rawRecordSha256": "687279b3d1e370f60311edb9f36e70ac74a99c8a5a76f6f9778287f3ddb92e8c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 149890
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for movie →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bW92aWU