Where does “obsess” come from?
Obsess comes from Latin obsessus, past participle of obsidēre meaning to besiege, from ob- and sedēre meaning to sit, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sed- meaning to sit.
obsess (English): To be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion;...
Definitions
- To be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion;...
Ancestry of “obsess”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | obsessus | inhabited; besieged; obsessed |
| 2 | Latin | obsideō | to sit, remain, abide, stay |
| 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 |