Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “obtenir” come from?

obtenir (French) comes from Old French obtenir, from Latin obtineo, 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.

obtenir (French): to get, to obtain

Definitions

  1. to get, to obtain

Ancestry of “obtenir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchobtenirto obtain
2LatinobtineoI have, occupy, possess, hold; I preserve, keep,...
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 “obtenir”

  • obtenteur
  • obținere
  • obține
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →