Where does “ostentation” come from?
Ostentation comes from Middle English ostentacioun, from Middle French ostentation, from Latin ostentatio, a noun formed with the Latin suffix -tio from the verb root teneo meaning to hold, prefixed with ob-.
ostentation (English): Ambitious display; vain show; display intended to...
Definitions
- Ambitious display; vain show; display intended to...
Ancestry of “ostentation”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ostentacioun | — |
| 2 | Middle French | ostentation | — |
| 3 | Latin | ostentatio | exhibition, display, showing off |
| 4 | Latin | ostentō | to exhibit, show, present |
| 5 | Latin | ostendō | to expose to view, exhibit, show |
| 6 | Latin | obs- | in front of |
| 7 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 8 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |