Where does “obstacle” come from?
Obstacle comes from Old French obstacle, from Latin obstaculum, a diminutive formation from Latin sto meaning "to stand," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steh₂-.
obstacle (English): Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or...
Definitions
- Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or...
Ancestry of “obstacle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | obstacle | — |
| 2 | Old French | obstacle | — |
| 3 | Latin | obstaculum | obstacle, hindrance |
| 4 | Latin | obstō | to stand before, stand in the way of, obstruct, block, oppose |
| 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 |