Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “obvious” come from?

Obvious comes from Latin obvius, derived from Latin via meaning "way," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- meaning "to go or transport."

obvious (English): Easily discovered, seen, or understood;...

Definitions

  1. Easily discovered, seen, or understood;...

Ancestry of “obvious”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinobviusin the way; meeting; affable, courteous
2Latinob-towards; against
3Latinobolusobolus
4Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
5Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
6Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
7Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
8Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing

Words derived from “obvious”

  • obviously
  • obviousness
  • nonobvious
  • unobvious
  • nonobviousness
  • unobviousness
  • unobviously
  • overobvious
  • non-obvious
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →