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
- To constrain someone by force or by social, moral...
Ancestry of “oblige”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | obligen | To oblige; to compel to do something or behave a... |
| 2 | Old French | obligier | — |
| 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 |