Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “obstinate” come from?

Obstinate comes from Middle English obstinate, from Latin obstinatus, the past participle of obstino meaning to persist or stand firm, composed of ob and a root from Proto-Indo-European h₁epi.

obstinate (English): Stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or...

Definitions

  1. Stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or...

Ancestry of “obstinate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishobstinat—
2Latinobstinātus—
3Latinobstinō—
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 “obstinate”

  • obstinacy
  • obstinately
  • obstinateness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →