Where does “obscene” come from?
Obscene comes from Middle French obscene, which originally referred to something offensive or indecent in nature.
obscene (English): Offensive to current standards of decency or...
Definitions
- Offensive to current standards of decency or...
Ancestry of “obscene”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | obscène | — |
| 2 | Latin | obscenus | inauspicious, ominous, portentous; repulsive,... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱweyn- | to make dirty, soil; filth; mud; to soil; mud;... |
Words derived from “obscene”