Where does “obtuse” come from?
Obtuse comes from Middle French obtus, from Latin obtusus, the past participle of obtundere, meaning to blunt or dull.
obtuse (English): Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form;...
Definitions
- Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form;...
Ancestry of “obtuse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | obtusus | blunt, dull, obtuse |
| 2 | Latin | obtundo | I strike, beat or batter; I blunt; I deafen |
| 3 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 4 | Latin | obolus | obolus |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |
Words derived from “obtuse”