remue

Remue is the present tense form of the French verb remuer, used for il/elle and as the informal singular imperative. In the present tense, the full paradigm is: je remue, tu remues, il/elle remue, nous remuons, vous remuez, ils/elles remuent. The imperative forms are remue (tu), remuons (nous), et remuez (vous).

Remuer means to move again, to shake or stir, and it also extends to figurative senses such as stirring emotions or memories. The verb is transitive and typically followed by a direct object: on remue la soupe, on remue les feuilles, on remue les souvenirs. Metaphorically, one can remuer des émotions, des idées, ou des questions.

Common usage examples include: Remue bien la pâte jusqu’à ce qu’elle soit homogène. Il remue la poussière du meuble avec le chiffon. Cette conversation remue des souvenirs d’enfance. The word appears in several fixed expressions, such as remue-ménage (an activity intended to cause trouble or excitement) and the idiom remuer ciel et terre (to move heaven and earth) to describe great effort.

Etymology and related forms: remuer derives from the prefix re- combined with mouer, a root meaning to move, itself linked to the broader Latin movēre family. Related forms include remuant (adjective, meaning stirring or agitating) and the noun remue, though the latter is far less common and typically found only in set phrases.

Remue thus functions as a common French verb form used in both literal and figurative contexts to denote movement, stirring, or provoking action, and it remains a staple in everyday language as well as in fixed expressions.