commove

Commove is a verb meaning to move emotionally or to excite, arouse, or disturb someone’s feelings. In contemporary usage the emotional sense is primary, and the word is mostly found in literary, historical, or formal contexts. It is considered archaic or rare in everyday modern English, and writers more often use move, stir, affect, or arouse.

Etymology and development: Commove derives from Latin commovere, meaning “to move together or upset,” through Old French comouvoir and Middle English forms. The sense related to causing emotional disturbance or stirring sentiment emerged in early modern English, while physical movement senses gradually faded from common use.

Usage and modern status: In modern dictionaries, commove is typically labeled archaic or literary. It appears in historical texts and poetic or rhetorical writing rather than in ordinary discourse. Examples include phrases such as “the speech commoved the crowd” or “the tragedy commoved him to tears.” Because of its rarity, the term can appear as learned or stylistically marked, and many readers may prefer simpler alternatives.

See also: related verbs such as move, touch, affect, arouse, and stir, as well as the noun commotion, which is unrelated in meaning but etymologically connected to disturbance and movement.