Where does “obscurely” come from?
Obscurely comes from Middle English -ly added to Old English obscure, which derives from Latin obscurus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm meaning dark or covered.
obscurely (English): In an obscure manner
Definitions
- In an obscure manner
Ancestry of “obscurely”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | obscure | Dark, faint or indistinct; Hidden, out of sight... |
| 2 | Middle English | obscure | — |
| 3 | Old French | obscur | — |
| 4 | Latin | obscūrus | dark, dusky, shadowy |
| 5 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 6 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |