Where does “unobservable” come from?
Unobservable derives from English observable, from Middle French observer, from Latin observare meaning "to watch or guard," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots ano- and ser-.
unobservable (English): That cannot be observed; Something that cannot be...
Definitions
- That cannot be observed; Something that cannot be...
Ancestry of “unobservable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | observable | Able to be observed; Deserving to be observed;... |
| 2 | English | observe | To notice or view, especially carefully or with... |
| 3 | Middle French | observer | — |
| 4 | Latin | observo | I observe, watch; I guard, keep watch over; I... |
| 5 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 6 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |