Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “offensiveness” come from?

Offensiveness comes from English offensive plus the suffix -ness, from Middle French offensif, from Latin offendere meaning to strike against, from the prefix ob- and Proto-Indo-European gʷʰen- meaning to strike.

offensiveness (English): The quality of being offensive

Definitions

  1. The quality of being offensive

Ancestry of “offensiveness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoffensiveCausing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of...
2Middle Frenchoffensif—
3Latinoffenderethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
4LatinoffendoI hit, thrust, strike; I meet, encounter; I...
5Latinob-towards; against
6Latinobolusobolus
7Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
8Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
9Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
10Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
11Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →