Where does “obligatory” come from?
Obligatory comes from Middle English obligatorie, from Latin obligatorius, derived from Latin obligo meaning to bind, ultimately from Latin ligo meaning to tie.
obligatory (English): Imposing obligation, legally, morally, or...
Definitions
- Imposing obligation, legally, morally, or...
Ancestry of “obligatory”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | obligatorie | Making someone obligated to pay a charge;... |
| 2 | Latin | obligātōrius | binding, obligatory |
| 3 | Latin | obligō | to bind in obligation, obligate, make liable |
| 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 |