Where does “obnoxious” come from?
Obnoxious comes from Latin obnoxiosus, formed with the suffix -osus from noxia, derived from nocere meaning "to harm," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European neḱ-.
obnoxious (English): Extremely unpleasant or offensive; very annoying,...
Definitions
- Extremely unpleasant or offensive; very annoying,...
Ancestry of “obnoxious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | obnoxiōsus | — |
| 2 | Latin | obnoxius | punishable, liable, guilty; submissive, obedient,... |
| 3 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 4 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |