Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “obsessive” come from?

Obsessive comes from Latin obsessus, the past participle of obsidere meaning "to besiege," from the prefix ob- "against" and sedere "to sit," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sed- "to sit."

obsessive (English): Prone to cause obsession; Having one thought or...

Definitions

  1. Prone to cause obsession; Having one thought or...

Ancestry of “obsessive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishobsessTo be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion;...
2Latinobsessusinhabited; besieged; obsessed
3Latinobsideō—
4Latinob-towards; against
5Latinobolusobolus
6Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
7Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
8Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
9Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
10Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing

Words derived from “obsessive”

  • obsessively
  • obsessiveness
  • nonobsessive
  • unobsessive
  • unobsessively
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →