'movie' originates from English, specifically as a colloquial shortening of 'moving picture,' where 'moving' meant 'that moves' and 'picture' meant 'a visual representation.'

'moving picture' (late 19th century) was commonly used for motion pictures; in early 20th century American English the phrase was shortened colloquially to 'movie,' which became standard.

Initially it literally referred to a 'moving picture' (a picture that moves); over time it came to mean 'a film' and also extended to refer to the film industry and the medium of motion pictures.