Where does “obituary” come from?
Obituary comes from Medieval Latin obituarius, from the Latin suffix -arius and obeo meaning to go toward or meet, derived from the prefix ob- and the root is, ultimately from Ancient Greek ὀβολός.
obituary (English): A brief notice of a person’s death, as published...
Definitions
- A brief notice of a person’s death, as published...
Ancestry of “obituary”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | obituarius | An obituary |
| 2 | Latin | obitus | perished; The act of approaching or going toward;... |
| 3 | Latin | obeo | I go towards, go to meet; I arrive at, reach,... |
| 4 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 5 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |