Motility
/moʊˈtɪlɪti/noun
The ability to move spontaneously or be moved from one place to another.
Did you know?Motility ultimately comes from the same Latin source as *motion*, *motor*, and *emotion*—a reminder that even feelings were once understood as something that literally moves you.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
mōtiō
“a moving, movement, stirring”
Late Latin
Latin
mōtīlitās
“mobility, power of movement”
Middle French
French
motilité
“mobility; capacity for movement”
Late 18th Century
English
motility
“the quality or state of being able to move”