Etymology 15: Motivate

This word is a bit more recent. It dates back to 1885. It means, "to stimulate toward action." This word may perhaps have been modeled from the French "motiver" or the German "motivieren." I find it interesting that some of the leading voices in America claim that all children are inherently motivated, and that if a student lacks motivation, that they must have been "de-motivated" by a teacher. I believe this idea could be defined as "absurd," but that's just my take on it. :)