The logic of motives: billiard balls and Grice

By JLS
for the GC

What is "movere" in Latin? To move.




mŏvĕo , mōvi, mōtum, 2 (
I. sync., mōstis for movistis, Mart. 3, 67, 1; “mōrunt for moverunt,” Sil. 14, 141), v. a. and n. Sanscr. mīv, set in motion; Gr. ἀμείβω, change; cf.: momentum, mutare.

I. Act.,

to

move
stir
set in motion
to
shake
disturb
remove, etc. (syn.: cieo, agito,

ago, molior).

A. Lit.: “movit et ad certos nescia membra modos,” Tib. 1, 7, 38: “ut festis matrona moveri jussa diebus,” to dance, Hor. A. P. 232: moveri Cyclopa, to represent a Cyclop by dancing (gesticulating), id. Ep. 2, 2, 125: “et fila sonantia movit,” struck, Ov. M. 10, 89: “citharam cum voce,” id. ib. 5, 112: “tympana,” id. H. 4, 48; to disturb: “novis Helicona cantibus,” Manil. Astron. 1, 4: “signum movere loco,” to move from the place, Cic. Div. 1, 35, 77: “os,” Cels. 8, 2: “gradum,” i. e. to go forward, advance, Sen. Thyest. 420: se, to move or bestir one's self: “move ocius te,” Ter. And. 4, 3, 16: “praecepit eis, ne se ex eo loco moverent,” not to stir from the spot, Liv. 34, 20; Caes. B. G. 3, 15: castra, to break up, remove: “postero die castra ex eo loco movent,” Caes. B. G. 1, 15; “ellipt. without castra: postquam ille Canusio moverat,” Cic. Att. 9, 1, 1: “movisse a Samo Romanos audivit,” Liv. 37, 28, 4.—Pass. reflex.: “priusquam hostes moverentur,” Liv. 37, 19, 18: “hostem statu,” to drive from his position, dislodge, id. 30, 18: “aliquem possessione,” Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 45, § 116: “heredes,” to eject, id. Off. 3, 19, 76: “tribu centurionem,” to turn out, expel, id. de Or. 2, 67, 272; so, “aliquem de senatu,” id. Clu. 43, 122; “the same also without senatu,” Hor. S. 1, 6, 20: “senatorio loco,” to degrade, Liv. 39, 42, 6: “ex agro,” Cic. Fam. 13, 5, 2: “move abs te moram,” remove, cast off, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 10: “consulem de sententiā,” to cause to recede, to dissuade, Liv. 3, 21: “litteram,” to take away, Cic. Fin. 3, 22, 74.—Prov.: “omnis terras, omnia maria movere,” to turn the world upside down, Cic. Att. 8, 11, 2.—

2. Transf.

a. To

excite,
occasion,
cause,
promote,
produce; to

begin,
commence, undertake: “exercitatione sudor movetur,” is promoted, produced, Cels. 2, 17: “alvum,” Cato, R. R. 115: “dolorem,” id. ib. 7, 4: “lacrimas,” to cause, Quint. 6, 1, 26: “fletum populo,” Cic. de Or. 1, 53, 228: “risum,” id. ib. 2, 62, 281: “alicui exspectationem,” id. Att. 2, 14, 1: “indignationem,” Liv. 4, 50, 1: “misericordiam,” Cic. de Or. 2, 69, 278: “suspicionem,” id. Part. 33, 114: “ego istaec moveo, aut curo?” begin, commence, Ter. And. 5, 4, 18: “bellum,” Cic. Off. 1, 11, 37; Liv. 23, 48, 6: “jam pugna se moverat,” was going on, Curt. 8, 14, 6: “cantūs,” Verg. A. 10, 163: “tantum decus,” begin, Manil. Astron. 1, 42; cf. Verg. A. 7, 45: “nominis controversiam,” to begin, Tac. Dial. 25 init.; cf. Cels. 3, 3, § 25; Dig. 37, 10, 4: “litem,” ib. 4, 3, 33: “actionem,” ib. 19, 1, 10: “mentionem rei,” to make mention, Liv. 28, 11, 9: “sacra,” Val. Fl. 3, 540: “movere ac moliri aliquid,” to undertake any thing that excites disturbance, Liv. 23, 39: “ne quid moveretur,” id. 35, 13.—

b. To shake, to cause to waver, to alter: “alicujus sententiam,” to change, cause to waver, Cic. Att. 7, 3, 6: “sententiam regis,” Liv. 35, 42, 6.—

c. To present, offer an oblation: “ferctum Jovi moveto,” Cato, R. R. 134.—

d. To disturb, concern, trouble, torment one: “men moveat cimex Pantilius?” Hor. S. 1, 10, 78: “Armeniosne movet, Romana potentia cujus Sit ducis?” Luc. 7, 282; cf. Val. Fl. 7, 131. intoleranda vis aestūs omnium ferme corpora movit, Liv. 25, 26: “strepitu fora vestra,” Juv. 2, 52.—
e. Of plants, to put forth: “si se gemmae nondum moveant,” do not yet appear, Col. 11, 2, 26: de palmite gemma movetur, is produced, Ov. Tr. 3, 12, 13.—

f. To exert, exercise: “inter principia condendi hujus operis, movisse numen ad indicandam tanti imperii molem traditur deos,” Liv. 1, 55, 3 (cf.: “se movere, I. A. supra): artis opem,” Ov. F. 6, 760.—
g. = mutare, to change, transform: “quorum Forma semel mota est,” Ov. M. 8, 729: “nihil motum antiquo probabile est,” Liv. 34, 54, 8.—
h. In mal. part., Plaut. Am. 4, 1, 43.—
B. Trop., to move, affect, excite, inspire: “ut pulcritudo corporis movet oculos et delectat,” charms, Cic. Off. 1, 28, 98: “quae me causae moverint,” id. Att. 11, 5, 1: “fere fit, quibus quisque in locis miles inveteravit, uti multum earum regionum consuetudine moveatur,” is much affected, influenced, Caes. B. C. 1, 44: “aliquem ad bellum,” to stir up, excite, Liv. 35, 12, 5: “movet feroci juveni animum conploratio sororis,” stirs his anger, id. 1, 26, 3; cf. id. 21, 38, 3; 23, 31, 11: “numina Dianae,” to irritate, provoke, Hor. Epod. 17, 3: “multa movens animo,” to revolve, ponder, meditate, Verg. A. 3, 34: “moverat plebem oratio consulis,” had stirred, made an impression on, Liv. 3, 20: “judicum animos,” Quint. 6, 2, 1: “acutule moveri,” keenly affected, Aug. Conf. 3, 7: neque illud me movet, quod, Caes. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 16, A. 2: “affectus,” Quint. 6, 1, 7: “moveor etiam ipsius loci insolentiā,” Cic. Deiot. 2, 5: “nil moveor lacrimis,” Prop. 3, 23, 25 (4, 25, 5): “absiste moveri,” be not disturbed, Verg. A. 6, 399: “quos sectis Bellona lacertis Saeva movet,” inspires, Luc. 1, 565 (al. monet): “ut captatori moveat fastidia,” excites nausea in, Juv. 10, 202.—
II. Neutr., to move itself, move (very rare): “terra dies duodequadraginta movit,” an earthquake, Liv. 35, 40, 7; 40, 59, 7.—In pass.: “reptile quod movetur,” which moves itself, Vulg. Gen. 1, 26 saep.—Hence,
A. mŏvens , entis, P. a., movable (class.): ex eā praedā, quae rerum moventium sit, movable things (as clothes, arms, furniture), Liv. 5, 25, 6: “voluptas,” that consists in motion, Cic. Fin. 2, 10, 31: “furtum rerum moventium,” Gell. 11, 18, 13.—Plur. subst.: “quaedam quasi moventia,” motives, Cic. Tusc. 5, 24, 68.—Hence, adv.: mŏventer , movingly, affectingly (late Lat.), Schol. Bob. ad Cic. Mil. 7, n. 4.—
B. mōtus , a, um, P. a., moved, affected, disturbed (poet. and in post-class. prose): “Ithaci digressu mota Calypso,” Prop. 1, 15, 9: “dictis,” Ov. Tr. 4, 10, 23: “precibus,” Curt. 6, 5, 23.