Where does “inoffensive” come from?
Inoffensive comes from Middle French inoffensif, from Latin inoffensus (not offensive), composed of the prefix in- (not) and offensus (offensive), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to strike or harm.
inoffensive (English): not offensive; harmless
Definitions
- not offensive; harmless
Ancestry of “inoffensive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | offensive | Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of... |
| 2 | Middle French | offensif | — |
| 3 | Latin | offendere | third-person plural perfect active indicative of... |
| 4 | Latin | offendo | I hit, thrust, strike; I meet, encounter; I... |
| 5 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 6 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |