budge
UK[bʌdʒ]US[bʌdʒ]
v
to move or cause to move slightly
v
to change or cause to change an opinion, attitude, or course of action
Etymology
the verb 'budge' entered english in the late 16th century, likely from the french 'bouger', meaning 'to stir'. this french term is thought to derive from the vulgar latin 'bullicāre', meaning 'to bubble or boil', which itself is a frequentative form of the latin 'bullīre', 'to boil'. the semantic journey is one of metaphorical extension: from the vigorous, bubbling motion of a boiling liquid, to the idea of general movement or stirring, and finally narrowing to its modern sense of making a slight, often reluctant, movement or concession. its stubbornly unchanged form over centuries reflects its status as a tight, unanalyzable lexical unit in english.
Analysis
the word is a simplex form. it functions as a verb in modern english.
Examples
the heavy cabinet wouldn't budge an inch no matter how hard we pushed.
after hours of negotiation, neither side was willing to budge on the key issue.
can you budge over a little so i can sit down?