Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “oppositional” come from?

Oppositional derives from English opposition, from English aldehyde, from German Aldehyd, from Late Latin oppositio, from Latin -tio, from Latin pono, from Latin obolus, from Ancient Greek ὀβολός.

oppositional (English): Of, pertaining to, or exhibiting opposition

Definitions

  1. Of, pertaining to, or exhibiting opposition

Ancestry of “oppositional”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoppositionThe action of opposing or of being in conflict;...
2Middle Englishopposicioun{Astronomical opposition; the state where two...
3Old Frenchoposicion—
4Latinoppositiō—
5Frenchoppositionopposition
6Late Latinoppositioopposing, opposition
7LatinopponoI set against; I oppose
8Latinob-towards; against
9Latinobolusobolus
10Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
11Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
12Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
13Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
14Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing

Words derived from “oppositional”

  • oppositionality
  • oppositionally
  • nonoppositional
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →