Where does “offensive” come from?
Offensive comes from Middle French offensif, from Medieval Latin offensivus, derived from Latin offendere, which combines the prefix ob- with a root from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰen-.
offensive (English): Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of...
Definitions
- Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of...
Ancestry of “offensive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | offensif | — |
| 2 | Latin | offendere | third-person plural perfect active indicative of... |
| 3 | Latin | offendo | I hit, thrust, strike; I meet, encounter; I... |
| 4 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 5 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |