commotion

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm

Proto-Italic *kom

Proto-Italic *kom-

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh₁éyetider.

Proto-Italic *moweō

Proto-Italic *kommoweō?

Latin commoveō

Proto-Indo-European *-tis

Proto-Indo-European *-Hō

Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō

Proto-Italic *-tiō

Latin -tiō

Latin commōtiōnemder.

Middle French commocion

English commotion

From Middle French commocion, from Latin commōtiōnem, accusative singular of commōtiō, from commoveō +‎ -tiō.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /kəˈməʊ.ʃən/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
(US) IPA^(key): /kəˈmoʊ.ʃən/
Rhymes: -əʊʃən

Noun

commotion (countable and uncountable, plural commotions)

A state of turbulent motion.
An agitated disturbance or a hubbub.
- 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, pages 97–98:
  It would seem as if calm were necessary to convulsion; for the tranquillity of the last few months was again to be disturbed by political commotion.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
  When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.
(euphemistic) Sexual excitement.
- 1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC:
  and now, glancing my eyes towards that part of his dress which cover'd the essential object of enjoyment, I plainly discover'd the swell and commotion there

Synonyms

See also Thesaurus:commotion

Derived terms

Translations

state of turbulent motion

Armenian: իրարանցում (hy) (irarancʻum)
Bulgarian: турбуле́нция f (turbuléncija), сумато́ха (bg) f (sumatóha)
Catalan: commoció f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 騷動 / 骚动 (zh) (sāodòng)
Danish: bevægelse, oprør
Esperanto: tumulto (eo)
Finnish: kiehunta (fi), kiehuminen (fi), kuohunta (fi), kuohuminen (fi)
German: Aufregung (de) f
Hindi: ऊधम (hi) m (ūdham)
Māori: whakatioro, tūkōripi
Portuguese: comoção (pt) f
Russian: турбуле́нция f (turbuléncija), сумато́ха (ru) f (sumatóxa)
Spanish: conmoción (es) f, trulla (es) f
Walloon: rimowe-manaedje (wa) m

agitated disturbance or a hubbub

Armenian: իրարանցում (hy) (irarancʻum)
Bulgarian: вълнение (bg) n (vălnenie), смут (bg) m (smut)
Catalan: commoció f, avalot (ca) m, esvalot m, aldarull (ca) m
Czech: rozruch (cs) m, pozdvižení n, mela (cs) f
Danish: opstandelse c, tumult, uro, postyr, røre (da)
Finnish: kiehunta (fi), kiehuminen (fi), kiehumistila, hulina (fi), hälinä (fi), melske, tohina (fi)
German: Spektakel (de) n, Theater (de) n, Zirkus (de) m, Aufstand (de) m, Tumult (de) m, Aufruhr (de) m
Greek:
Ancient Greek: θόρυβος m (thórubos)
Hindi: धमाल (hi) m (dhamāl), ऊधम (hi) m (ūdham), हुड़दंग (hi) m (huṛdaṅg)
Irish: anfais f, clampar m
Korean: 지랄 (ko) (jiral)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ھەرا (hera)
Latin: turba (la) f, tumultus m
Māori: whakatioro, tararau, heihei (mi), tūkōripi
Marathi: खळबळ f (khaḷbaḷ), गोंधळ f (gondhaḷ), हंगामा m (haṅgāmā)
Naga:
Khiamniungan Naga: tâmtâm
Plautdietsch: Krom m
Polish: zamieszanie (pl) n, bigos (pl) m
Portuguese: comoção (pt) f
Romanian: freamăt (ro)
Russian: сумато́ха (ru) f (sumatóxa), волне́ние (ru) n (volnénije), сумя́тица (ru) f (sumjática), сму́та (ru) f (smúta)
Scottish Gaelic: ùpraid f
Spanish: tropelaje m, pitote m (colloquial), trulla (es) f
Telugu: హడావిడి (te) (haḍāviḍi)
Walloon: rimowe-manaedje (wa) m
Welsh: cynnwrf m or f
Middle Welsh: kynnwryf
Yiddish: טומל m (tuml)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked