Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “obligatoire” come from?

obligatoire (French) comes from Late Latin obligatorius, from Latin obligo, from Latin ob-, from Latin obolus, from Ancient Greek ὀβολός, from Ancient Greek ὀβελός, from Ancient Greek βέλος, from Proto-Indo-European gʷélHos — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.

obligatoire (French): obligatory; mandatory; compulsory

Definitions

  1. obligatory; mandatory; compulsory

Ancestry of “obligatoire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late Latinobligatoriusbinding, obligatory
2LatinobligoI bind in obligation, obligate, make liable; I...
3Latinob-towards; against
4Latinobolusobolus
5Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
6Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
7Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
8Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
9Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing

Words derived from “obligatoire”

  • obligatoirement
  • obligatoriu
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →