Emotion Is Built From the Latin for Moving Out
An emotion is a strong feeling with a cause and a shape. The word's root says what feelings do: they move you.
An emotion is a felt response to something: fear at a noise, joy at a face, anger at an insult. The Latin behind it, *emovere*, means to move out or stir up, which is why English still says a speech *moved* us.
- A strong feeling. *A wave of emotion.*
- Feeling as opposed to reason. *He decides by emotion, not evidence.*
- Emotions — the whole range of them. *Managing your emotions.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | emotion | Raw emotion. |
| Plural | emotions | Mixed emotions. |
| Adjective | emotional | An emotional speech. |
| Adverb | emotionally | Emotionally drained. |
| Related | emotive | An emotive subject. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She spoke without showing any emotion.Emotion is uncountable here.
- The song stirred up old emotions.Plural for several feelings at once.
- It is an emotive issue in every country.Emotive means it provokes feeling in others.
Emotion, feeling and mood
- Emotion — a response with a cause, usually short
- Feeling — the wider word, including physical sensations
- Mood — a longer state with no single cause
- Sentiment — an opinion coloured by feeling
- Affect — the technical term in psychology for observable emotion
From French *émotion*, from Latin *emovere*, to move out or disturb, from *ex* (out) and *movere* (to move). The same *movere* runs through *motion*, *motive* and *remove*.
Emotional or emotive?
Emotional describes someone feeling; emotive describes something that causes feeling. An emotional witness, an emotive topic.
How many basic emotions are there?
There is no settled answer. One influential list gives six: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust.