Where does “obligation” come from?
Obligation comes from Middle English obligacioun, from Old French obligacion, from Latin obligatio, the noun form of obligatum, past participle of ligāre meaning to bind or tie.
obligation (English): The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or...
Definitions
- The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or...
Ancestry of “obligation”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | obligacioun | A covenant or contract; a directive obligating... |
| 2 | Old French | obligacion | — |
| 3 | Latin | obligatio | binding; engaging, pledging, obligation, bond;... |
| 4 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 5 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 6 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 7 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |