mettere in moto

Italian

Etymology

Literally, “to put in motion”.

Verb

méttere in moto (first-person singular present métto in moto, first-person singular past historic mìsi in moto, past participle mésso in moto, auxiliary avére)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) to put in motion
   • 2016, Tom Bissell, “Tutto di tutto: Infinite Jest, vent'anni dopo [Everything of everything: Infinite Jest, twenty years later]”, in David Foster Wallace, translated by Edoardo Nesi, Infinite Jest, Einaudi, page vii:

     Parole inventate, parole messe in moto per corto circuito, parole reperibili solo nelle note a piè di pagina dei dizionari medici, parole utilizzabili solo nel contesto della retorica classica, parole da piccolo chimico, parole da matematico, parole da filosofo - Wallace è stato uno speleologo dell'Oxford English Dictionary e ha creato spericolati neologismi, verbi derivati da sostantivi, sostantivi derivati da verbi, dando vita non tanto a un romanzo di linguaggio, quanto a una nuovissima realtà lessicografica.

     Invented words, words put in motion because of difficulty, words found only in the footnotes of medical dictionaries, words usable only in the context of classical rhetoric, little chemist's words, mathematician's words, philosopher's words - Wallace was a speleologist of the Oxford English Dictionary and created reckless neologisms, verbs derived from nouns, nouns derived from verbs, giving life not so much to a novel of language as much as a very new lexicographical reality.