Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “oblige” come from?

Oblige comes from Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, from Latin obligare, meaning to bind or constrain.

oblige (English): To constrain someone by force or by social, moral...

Definitions

  1. To constrain someone by force or by social, moral...

Ancestry of “oblige”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishobligenTo oblige; to compel to do something or behave a...
2Old Frenchobligier—
3Latinobligō—
4Latinob-towards; against
5Latinobolusobolus
6Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
7Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
8Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
9Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
10Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing

Words derived from “oblige”

  • obliging
  • obligingly
  • obligor
  • obligee
  • obliger
  • obligingness
  • obligeth
  • unobliging
  • obligement
  • obligable
  • unobligingly
  • obligest
  • disobligement
  • unobligingness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →