Mobile
/ˈmoʊ.baɪl/noun
Able to move or be moved easily; also a decorative hanging sculpture.
Did you know?“Mobile” comes from Latin *mobilis*, from *movere* “to move,” the same ancient root behind words like “motion” and “motor,” so the word’s history is literally a story of movement.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meue-
“to push away, move”
Latin
Latin
movere
“to move”
Latin
Latin
mobilis
“movable, easy to move”
Old French
Old French
mobile
“movable, changeable”
Late Middle English
English
mobile
“capable of movement”
Modern English
English
mobile
“able to move or be moved easily; also a hanging sculpture or a cellular phone”