Definition of movable

The origin of the word "movable" can be traced back to the Old French word "movable," which was derived from the Latin word "movere," meaning "to move." In Middle English, the word was spelled as "mouvebull" or "movable," which was a combination of the Old French word and the English suffix "-able." The word "movable" initially referred to objects that could be moved, such as furniture, equipment, or tools. It emphasized the quality of being able to move, unlike immovable objects, which were stationary and fixed. In the context of printing, the word "movable" came to describe individual metal type pieces, each carved with a different letter or character, that could be easily moved and arranged to form words and paragraphs. Before the advent of movable type, texts were written out by hand, making reproduction and distribution of texts difficult and time-consuming. The ability to move and rearrange type pieces significantly improved the efficiency and speed of printing, allowing for mass production of printed materials. Moreover, Jungki Seo and Graviori explain in their paper "Masculine and Feminine Nature: Moveable Type in Korea and Europe," how "movable type" revolutionized printing beyond improved speed and efficiency, by also making it possible to print more complex texts, such as books with multiple volumes, footnotes, and references. The implications of such technological innovations would have wide-ranging effects on intellectual exchange, accessibility to knowledge, and dissemination of information, as researchers and authors could now publish and share more widely, expediently, and affordably. In conclusion, the word "movable" as it is commonly used today, in the context of print and electronic media, highlights the portability and flexibility of text that can be swiftly and cursorily amended or transferred from one medium to another, emphasizing the dynamic convergence and proliferation of content across digital, print, and multimedia platforms.