Where does “obelisk” come from?
Obelisk comes from Middle French obelisque, from Latin obeliscus, from Ancient Greek ὀβελίσκος, diminutive of ὀβελός meaning pointed object, from βέλος meaning projectile or missile.
obelisk (English): A tall, square, tapered, stone monolith topped...
Definitions
- A tall, square, tapered, stone monolith topped...
Ancestry of “obelisk”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | obelisque | obelisk |
| 2 | Latin | obeliscus | obelisk |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελίσκος | small spit, skewer; anything shaped like a spit;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |
Words derived from “obelisk”