Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “obstetricious” come from?

obstetricious (English) comes from Latin obstetricius, from Latin obstetrix, from Latin obstō, from Latin ob-, from Latin obolus, from Ancient Greek ὀβολός, from Ancient Greek ὀβελός, from Ancient Greek βέλος — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.

obstetricious (English): Serving to assist childbirth; obstetric

Definitions

  1. Serving to assist childbirth; obstetric

Ancestry of “obstetricious”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinobstetriciusbelonging to a midwife
2Latinobstetrixmidwife
3Latinobstō—
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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →