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
- Easily discovered, seen, or understood;...
Ancestry of “obvious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | obvius | in the way; meeting; affable, courteous |
| 2 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 3 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |