Where does “obverse” come from?
Obverse comes from Latin obversus, the past participle of obverto meaning to turn toward, from ob- combined with vertere to turn, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.
obverse (English): Turned or facing toward the observer;...
Definitions
- Turned or facing toward the observer;...
Ancestry of “obverse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | obversus | opposite (to), facing |
| 2 | Latin | obverto | I turn to/towards |
| 3 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 4 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 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 |