mobile

See also: Mobile and -mobile

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mōbilis (“easy to be moved, moveable”), from moveō (“move”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈməʊbaɪl/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmoʊbəl/, /ˈmoʊbil/, /ˈmoʊbaɪl/, sculpture always IPA^(key): /ˈmoʊbil/

Adjective

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈməʊ.baɪl/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊbaɪl
• (US) enPR: mōʹbəl, IPA^(key): /ˈmoʊbəl/
• Rhymes: -əʊbəl

Noun

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈməʊ.baɪl/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊbaɪl
• (US, phone) enPR: mōʹbəl, IPA^(key): /ˈmoʊbəl/
• Rhymes: -əʊbəl
• (US, sculpture) enPR: mōʹbēl, IPA^(key): /ˈmoʊbil/
• Rhymes: -əʊbiːl
• Homophone: Mobile

Adjective

mobile (comparative more mobile, superlative most mobile)

1. Capable of being moved, especially on wheels.

   Synonyms: movable; see also Thesaurus:in motion, Thesaurus:movable

   Antonyms: fixed, immobile, immovable, sessile, stationary

   a mobile home

2. Pertaining to or by agency of mobile phones.

   mobile number

   mobile internet

   • 2012 December 1, “An internet of airborne things”, in The Economist‎^[1], volume 405, number 8813, page 3 (Technology Quarterly):

     A farmer could place an order for a new tractor part by text message and pay for it by mobile money-transfer. A supplier many miles away would then take the part to the local matternet station for airborne dispatch via drone.

3. Characterized by an extreme degree of fluidity; moving or flowing with great freedom.

   Synonyms: fluxive; see also Thesaurus:runny

   Mercury is a mobile liquid.

4. Easily moved in feeling, purpose, or direction; excitable; changeable; fickle.

   Synonyms: excitable, fickle; see also Thesaurus:changeable

   • 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, chapter 7, in The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:

     the quick and mobile curiosity of her disposition

5. Changing in appearance and expression under the influence of the mind.

   mobile features

   • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Another London Life”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 176:

     His finely cut features were capable of every variety of expression; they were, to use a French epithet, expressive as their epithets for all social qualities usually are, mobile in the extreme.

6. (biology) Capable of being moved, aroused, or excited; capable of spontaneous movement.

   Synonym: motile

   Antonym: sessile

Derived terms

• cellular mobile
• ground mobile force
• MASH
• mobile chicane
• mobile crane
• mobile data
• mobile elevating work platform
• mobile game
• mobile genetic element
• mobile home
• mobile home park
• mobile library
• mobile number
• mobile phase
• mobile phone
• mobile reporting
• mobile service
• mobile speed bump
• mobile station
• mobile telephone
• mobile translation
• mobile virtual network operator
• mobile wad
• Muskmobile
• nonmobile
• s-mobile
• socially mobile
• upwardly mobile

 

Translations

capable of being moved

• Arabic: مُنْتَقِل (muntaqil), مُتَنَقِّل (mutanaqqil)
• Armenian: շարժական (hy) (šaržakan), շարժուն (hy) (šaržun)
• Azerbaijani: səyyar, mobil
• Bulgarian: подвижен (bg) (podvižen), мобилен (mobilen)
• Catalan: mòbil (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 可动的

• Czech: mobilní (cs), pohyblivý (cs)
• Dutch: beweeglijk (nl), mobiel (nl)
• Esperanto: movebla
• Finnish: liikkuva (fi)
• French: mobile (fr)
• Galician: móbil (gl) m
• Georgian: მოძრავი (moʒravi), გადატანადი (gadaṭanadi), მობილური (mobiluri)
• German: beweglich (de), mobil (de)
• Greek: κινητός (el) m (kinitós)

  Ancient: κινητικός (kinētikós)

• Hebrew: נַיָּד (he)
• Hungarian: mozgatható (hu), mozgó (hu), mobil (hu), mobilis (hu), hordozható (hu), szállítható (hu), kiemelhető (hu)
• Interlingua: mobile (ia)
• Italian: mobile (it)
• Jamaican Creole: muobail
• Japanese: 可動 (ja) (かどう, kadou)
• Latin: mōbilis (la)
• Latvian: mobils
• Lithuanian: mobilus (lt)
• Malay: mudah alih (ms), mudalih
• Norwegian: bevegelig (no), mobil (no)
• Persian: سیار (fa)
• Polish: przenośny (pl), mobilny (pl), ruchomy (pl)
• Portuguese: móvel (pt), movediço (pt)
• Romanian: mobil (ro)
• Russian: моби́льный (ru) (mobílʹnyj), подвижной (ru) (podvižnoj), передвижно́й (ru) (peredvižnój)
• Sanskrit: जङ्गम (sa) (jaṅgama)
• Slovak: mobilný
• Spanish: móvil (es), movible (es)
• Swedish: flyttbar (sv), mobil (sv), rörlig (sv)
• Tagalog: gala
• Turkish: (literally) taşınabilir (tr) c
• Volapük: golovik, vabovik
• Yiddish: מאָביל (mobil)

pertaining to or by agency of mobile phones

• Finnish: matkapuhelin- (fi) (pertaining to); mobiili (fi) (by agency of)
• Georgian: მობილური (mobiluri)
• Hungarian: mobil- (hu)

characterized by an extreme degree of fluidity

• Finnish: nopealiikkeinen
• Hungarian: mozgékony (hu), könnyen/hígan folyó, hígfolyós (hu), önthető, fluid (hu)

easily moved in feeling, purpose, or direction — see also excitable,‎ fickle

• Finnish: ailahteleva (fi)
• Hungarian: változékony (hu), változó (hu), élénk (hu), gyorsan reagáló

changing in appearance and expression under the influence of the mind

biology: capable of spontaneous movement

• Finnish: liikuntakykyinen

Noun

mobile (plural mobiles)

Mobile

Mobile hanging over a baby's crib

2. (sculpture) A kinetic sculpture or decorative arrangement made of items hanging so that they can move independently from each other.
4. (telephony, UK, Ireland) Ellipsis of mobile phone.

   Synonym: cell phone

   • 2000, “Idioteque”, in Kid A, performed by Radiohead:

     Mobiles squerking, mobiles chirping / Take the money and run

6. (uncountable, Internet) The internet accessed via mobile devices.

   there are many business opportunities in mobile

7. One who moves or can move (e.g. to travel).
   • 1963, Highway Research Record:

     […] if the constrained "immobiles" are given the same transportation access as the unconstrained "mobiles". […] We concentrated on a mobile teenager population that had good public transportation or automobile access and a […]

   • 1988 February 25, Nigel Nicholson, Michael West, Managerial Job Change: Men and Women in Transition, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 132:

     Table 6.5 does indeed show that non-changers were more contented […] For Table 6.7 shows that even when we take account of the initial differences between the mobiles and immobiles, the mobiles' ratings of job characteristics move strongly in a positive direction while all the immobiles' record negative shifts. So the pattern is clear and consistent: jobs get better for movers and worse for non-movers.

   • 2005 July 19, Ian M. Philpott, The Royal Air Force: The Trenchard Years, 1918–1929, Casemate Publishers, →ISBN:

     One ex-airwoman recalls meal times for both 'mobiles' and 'immobiles', when they sat on backless benches at long bare tables. The 'immobiles' brought in their own food, crockery and cutlery. A free-standing iron range was used […]

8. (video games) Synonym of mob (“non-player character”)

Derived terms

• mobile-first

Descendants

• → Japanese: モバイル (mobairu)
• → Kurtöp: མོ་བའིལ (mobail)
• → Persian: موبایل (mobâil)

Translations

decoration

• Catalan: mòbil (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 机动 (zh) (jīdòng)

• Esperanto: mobilo
• Finnish: mobile (fi)
• French: mobile (fr) m
• German: Mobile (de) n
• Greek: μόμπιλ n (mómpil), κρεμαστό διακοσμητικό n (kremastó diakosmitikó)
• Japanese: モビール (ja) (mobīru)
• Korean: 모빌 (mobil)
• Maori: kaui
• Norwegian: uro (no) m
• Spanish: móvil (es) m
• Swedish: mobil (sv) c
• Turkish: dekorasyon (tr)
• Welsh: symudyn m

mobile phone — see mobile phone

internet accessed via mobile devices

• Finnish: mobiili internet

Related terms

• mobility
• mobilization
• mobilize
• move

 

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mew- (0 c, 2 e)

Further reading

• “mobile”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “mobile”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “mobile”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• mobile on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• mobile phone on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• mobile (sculpture) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• bemoil, emboil, emboli

Danish

Adjective

mobile

1. definite of mobil
2. plural of mobil

Finnish

Etymology

< English mobile

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmobile/, [ˈmo̞bile̞] (nalle-type declension)
• IPA^(key): /ˈmobileˣ/, [ˈmo̞bile̞(ʔ)] (hame-type declension)
• Rhymes: -obile
• Hyphenation^(key): mo‧bi‧le

Noun

mobile

1. mobile (kinetic sculpture)

Declension

Inflection of mobile (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		mobile	mobilet
genitive		mobilen	mobilejen
partitive		mobilea	mobileja
illative		mobileen	mobileihin
		singular	plural
nominative		mobile	mobilet
accusative	nom.	mobile	mobilet
	gen.	mobilen
genitive		mobilen	mobilejen mobilein rare
partitive		mobilea	mobileja
inessive		mobilessa	mobileissa
elative		mobilesta	mobileista
illative		mobileen	mobileihin
adessive		mobilella	mobileilla
ablative		mobilelta	mobileilta
allative		mobilelle	mobileille
essive		mobilena	mobileina
translative		mobileksi	mobileiksi
abessive		mobiletta	mobileitta
instructive		—	mobilein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of mobile (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mobileni mobileni accusative nom. mobileni mobileni gen. mobileni genitive mobileni mobilejeni mobileini rare partitive mobileani mobilejani inessive mobilessani mobileissani elative mobilestani mobileistani illative mobileeni mobileihini adessive mobilellani mobileillani ablative mobileltani mobileiltani allative mobilelleni mobileilleni essive mobilenani mobileinani translative mobilekseni mobileikseni abessive mobilettani mobileittani instructive — — comitative — mobileineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mobilesi mobilesi accusative nom. mobilesi mobilesi gen. mobilesi genitive mobilesi mobilejesi mobileisi rare partitive mobileasi mobilejasi inessive mobilessasi mobileissasi elative mobilestasi mobileistasi illative mobileesi mobileihisi adessive mobilellasi mobileillasi ablative mobileltasi mobileiltasi allative mobilellesi mobileillesi essive mobilenasi mobileinasi translative mobileksesi mobileiksesi abessive mobilettasi mobileittasi instructive — — comitative — mobileinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mobilemme mobilemme accusative nom. mobilemme mobilemme gen. mobilemme genitive mobilemme mobilejemme mobileimme rare partitive mobileamme mobilejamme inessive mobilessamme mobileissamme elative mobilestamme mobileistamme illative mobileemme mobileihimme adessive mobilellamme mobileillamme ablative mobileltamme mobileiltamme allative mobilellemme mobileillemme essive mobilenamme mobileinamme translative mobileksemme mobileiksemme abessive mobilettamme mobileittamme instructive — — comitative — mobileinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mobilenne mobilenne accusative nom. mobilenne mobilenne gen. mobilenne genitive mobilenne mobilejenne mobileinne rare partitive mobileanne mobilejanne inessive mobilessanne mobileissanne elative mobilestanne mobileistanne illative mobileenne mobileihinne adessive mobilellanne mobileillanne ablative mobileltanne mobileiltanne allative mobilellenne mobileillenne essive mobilenanne mobileinanne translative mobileksenne mobileiksenne abessive mobilettanne mobileittanne instructive — — comitative — mobileinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative mobilensa mobilensa accusative nom. mobilensa mobilensa gen. mobilensa genitive mobilensa mobilejensa mobileinsa rare partitive mobileaan mobileansa mobilejaan mobilejansa inessive mobilessaan mobilessansa mobileissaan mobileissansa elative mobilestaan mobilestansa mobileistaan mobileistansa illative mobileensa mobileihinsa adessive mobilellaan mobilellansa mobileillaan mobileillansa ablative mobileltaan mobileltansa mobileiltaan mobileiltansa allative mobilelleen mobilellensa mobileilleen mobileillensa essive mobilenaan mobilenansa mobileinaan mobileinansa translative mobilekseen mobileksensa mobileikseen mobileiksensa abessive mobilettaan mobilettansa mobileittaan mobileittansa instructive — — comitative — mobileineen mobileinensa

Inflection of mobile (Kotus type 48/hame, no gradation)
nominative		mobile	mobileet
genitive		mobileen	mobileiden mobileitten
partitive		mobiletta	mobileita
illative		mobileeseen	mobileisiin mobileihin
		singular	plural
nominative		mobile	mobileet
accusative	nom.	mobile	mobileet
	gen.	mobileen
genitive		mobileen	mobileiden mobileitten
partitive		mobiletta	mobileita
inessive		mobileessa	mobileissa
elative		mobileesta	mobileista
illative		mobileeseen	mobileisiin mobileihin
adessive		mobileella	mobileilla
ablative		mobileelta	mobileilta
allative		mobileelle	mobileille
essive		mobileena	mobileina
translative		mobileeksi	mobileiksi
abessive		mobileetta	mobileitta
instructive		—	mobilein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of mobile (Kotus type 48/hame, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mobileeni mobileeni accusative nom. mobileeni mobileeni gen. mobileeni genitive mobileeni mobileideni mobileitteni partitive mobilettani mobileitani inessive mobileessani mobileissani elative mobileestani mobileistani illative mobileeseeni mobileisiini mobileihini adessive mobileellani mobileillani ablative mobileeltani mobileiltani allative mobileelleni mobileilleni essive mobileenani mobileinani translative mobileekseni mobileikseni abessive mobileettani mobileittani instructive — — comitative — mobileineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mobileesi mobileesi accusative nom. mobileesi mobileesi gen. mobileesi genitive mobileesi mobileidesi mobileittesi partitive mobilettasi mobileitasi inessive mobileessasi mobileissasi elative mobileestasi mobileistasi illative mobileeseesi mobileisiisi mobileihisi adessive mobileellasi mobileillasi ablative mobileeltasi mobileiltasi allative mobileellesi mobileillesi essive mobileenasi mobileinasi translative mobileeksesi mobileiksesi abessive mobileettasi mobileittasi instructive — — comitative — mobileinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mobileemme mobileemme accusative nom. mobileemme mobileemme gen. mobileemme genitive mobileemme mobileidemme mobileittemme partitive mobilettamme mobileitamme inessive mobileessamme mobileissamme elative mobileestamme mobileistamme illative mobileeseemme mobileisiimme mobileihimme adessive mobileellamme mobileillamme ablative mobileeltamme mobileiltamme allative mobileellemme mobileillemme essive mobileenamme mobileinamme translative mobileeksemme mobileiksemme abessive mobileettamme mobileittamme instructive — — comitative — mobileinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mobileenne mobileenne accusative nom. mobileenne mobileenne gen. mobileenne genitive mobileenne mobileidenne mobileittenne partitive mobilettanne mobileitanne inessive mobileessanne mobileissanne elative mobileestanne mobileistanne illative mobileeseenne mobileisiinne mobileihinne adessive mobileellanne mobileillanne ablative mobileeltanne mobileiltanne allative mobileellenne mobileillenne essive mobileenanne mobileinanne translative mobileeksenne mobileiksenne abessive mobileettanne mobileittanne instructive — — comitative — mobileinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative mobileensa mobileensa accusative nom. mobileensa mobileensa gen. mobileensa genitive mobileensa mobileidensa mobileittensa partitive mobilettaan mobilettansa mobileitaan mobileitansa inessive mobileessaan mobileessansa mobileissaan mobileissansa elative mobileestaan mobileestansa mobileistaan mobileistansa illative mobileeseensa mobileisiinsa mobileihinsa adessive mobileellaan mobileellansa mobileillaan mobileillansa ablative mobileeltaan mobileeltansa mobileiltaan mobileiltansa allative mobileelleen mobileellensa mobileilleen mobileillensa essive mobileenaan mobileenansa mobileinaan mobileinansa translative mobileekseen mobileeksensa mobileikseen mobileiksensa abessive mobileettaan mobileettansa mobileittaan mobileittansa instructive — — comitative — mobileineen mobileinensa

Further reading

• “mobile”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin mōbilis. Doublet of meuble.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔ.bil/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

mobile (plural mobiles)

1. mobile
2. moving
3. movable

Antonyms

• immobile

Derived terms

• fête mobile
• igloo mobile
• station mobile
• téléphone mobile

 

Descendants

• → Turkish: mobil

Noun

mobile m (plural mobiles)

1. (physics) moving body
2. mobile (decoration)
3. motive (for an action, for a crime)
4. mobile phone; Ellipsis of téléphone mobile.

   Synonyms: cell, téléphone cellulaire, cellulaire, téléphone mobile, téléphone portable, portable

Further reading

• “mobile”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

mobile

1. inflection of mobil:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Latin mōbilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɔ.bi.le/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔbile
• Hyphenation: mò‧bi‧le

Adjective

mobile (plural mobili, superlative mobilissimo)

1. movable, mobile

   Antonym: immobile

2. moving

Derived terms

• mobilmente

Noun

mobile m (plural mobili)

1. (in the singular) piece of furniture (item of furniture)
2. (in the plural) furniture

   Synonyms: mobilia, mobilio, arredamento

3. (heraldry) charge
4. mobile (cellular phone)

   Synonyms: cellulare, telefonino

   Antonym: fisso

Related terms

• mobilia / mobilio
• mobiliare
• mobilificio
• mobilità
• mobilitare

 

Further reading

• mobile in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• mobile in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
• mobile in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa
• mòbile¹ in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication

Anagrams

• emboli

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈmoː.bi.le/, [ˈmoːbɪɫ̪ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmo.bi.le/, [ˈmɔːbile]

Adjective

mōbile

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of mōbilis

References

• mobile in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

mobile

1. definite singular of mobil
2. plural of mobil

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

mobile

1. definite singular of mobil
2. plural of mobil

Portuguese

Verb

mobile

1. inflection of mobilar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

Noun

mobile

1. plural of mobilă

Swedish

Adjective

mobile

1. definite natural masculine singular of mobil