Where does “offensive” come from?
offensive (French) comes from French offense, from Latin offēnsā, from Latin offenso, from Latin offendō, from Latin ob-, from Latin obolus, from Ancient Greek ὀβολός, from Ancient Greek ὀβελός — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.
offensive (French): feminine singular of offensif; An offensive
Definitions
- feminine singular of offensif; An offensive
Ancestry of “offensive”, step by step
offensive traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via French offense
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | offense | first-person singular present indicative of... |
| 2 | Latin | offēnsā | offense, violation of law |
| 3 | Latin | offenso | I strike or dash against; I falter, stumble over... |
| 4 | Latin | offendō | to hit, thrust, strike against something |
| 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 |
via Latin offendere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | offendere | third-person plural perfect active indicative of... |
| 2 | Latin | offendo | I hit, thrust, strike; I meet, encounter; I... |
| 3 | Latin | fendo | I hit; I thrust |
via Old French offendre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | offendre | to attack; to offend |