Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “obliger” come from?

obliger (French) comes from Middle French obliger, from Old French obligier, from Latin obligō, from Latin ob-, from Latin obolus, from Ancient Greek ὀβολός, from Ancient Greek ὀβελός, from Ancient Greek βέλος — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.

obliger (French): to oblige, to require, to compel, to force...

Definitions

  1. to oblige, to require, to compel, to force...

Ancestry of “obliger”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchobligerto oblige
2Old Frenchobligier—
3Latinobligō—
4Latinob-towards; against
5Latinobolusobolus
6Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
7Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
8Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
9Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
10Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing

Words derived from “obliger”

  • oblige
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →