Where does “obscure” come from?
Obscure comes from Middle English obscure, from Old French obscur, from Latin obscurus meaning dark or unclear, ultimately from Latin ob- combined with a root related to Ancient Greek βέλος.
obscure (English): Dark, faint or indistinct; Hidden, out of sight...
Definitions
- Dark, faint or indistinct; Hidden, out of sight...
Ancestry of “obscure”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | obscure | — |
| 2 | Old French | obscur | — |
| 3 | Latin | obscūrus | dark, dusky, shadowy |
| 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 |