Where does “obtain” come from?
Obtain comes from Anglo-Norman obtenir, from Latin obtineo, ultimately deriving through Latin teneo and obolus from Ancient Greek ὀβολός, ὀβελός, and βέλος, tracing back to Proto-Indo-European gʷélHos.
obtain (English): To get hold of; to gain possession of, to...
Definitions
- To get hold of; to gain possession of, to...
Ancestry of “obtain”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | obteinen | — |
| 2 | Middle French | obtenir | to obtain |
| 3 | Old French | obtenir | to obtain |
| 4 | Latin | obtineo | I have, occupy, possess, hold; I preserve, keep,... |
| 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 |