Where does “ostensible” come from?
ostensible (French) comes from Latin ostēnsus, from Latin ostendō, from Latin obs-, 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.
ostensible (French): apparent
Definitions
- apparent
Ancestry of “ostensible”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | ostēnsus | — |
| 2 | Latin | ostendō | to expose to view, exhibit, show |
| 3 | Latin | obs- | in front of |
| 4 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 5 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |