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Emote is an example of what linguists call a back-formation—that is, a word formed by trimming down an existing word. In this case, the parent word is emotion, which came to English by way of Middle French from the Latin verb emovēre, meaning "to remove or displace" (making the "removal" of the suffix -ion to form emote quite fitting). As is sometimes the case with back-formations, emote has since its coinage in the early 20th century tended toward use that is less than entirely serious. It frequently appears in humorous or deprecating descriptions of the work of actors, and is similarly used to describe theatrical behavior by nonactors.
Examples of emote in a Sentence
Joe Reid, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2024
This audacious approach meant that the Williams character had to look like an ape but otherwise emote and behave like a human in a believable way alongside human actors.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 31 Jan. 2025
The credit for how the characters emote is due to the incredible work done by our animators.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 16 Jan. 2025
Even now, with no way to hide behind my usual euphemisms or analogies, emoting still feels at times too frank and candid.
—Hannah Seo, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for emote
Cite this Entry
“Emote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emote. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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