Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “opposition” come from?

opposition (French) comes from Late Latin oppositio, from Latin oppono, 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.

opposition (French): opposition

Definitions

  1. opposition

Ancestry of “opposition”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late Latinoppositioopposing, opposition
2LatinopponoI set against; I oppose
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 “opposition”

  • оппозиция
  • oppositionnel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →