Where does “object” come from?
Object comes from Latin obiectum, past participle of obiectus, from iacio meaning "to throw," ultimately from Ancient Greek βέλος meaning "missile" or "projectile."
object (English): A thing that has physical existence but is not alive
Definitions
- A thing that has physical existence but is not alive
Ancestry of “object”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | object | — |
| 2 | Latin | obiectum | A charge, accusation |
| 3 | Latin | obiectus | offered, presented; exposed; interposed, opposed |
| 4 | Latin | obiciō | to throw or put to, towards, in front of or before |
| 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 |