Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Gegensatz” come from?

Gegensatz (German) comes from Latin oppositiō, from French opposition, from Late Latin oppositio, from Latin oppono, from Latin ob-, from Latin obolus, from Ancient Greek ὀβολός, from Ancient Greek ὀβελός — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.

Gegensatz (German): opposition, antagonism; opposite; conflict,...

Definitions

  1. opposition, antagonism; opposite; conflict,...

Ancestry of “Gegensatz”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinoppositiō—
2Frenchoppositionopposition
3Late Latinoppositioopposing, opposition
4LatinopponoI set against; I oppose
5Latinob-towards; against
6Latinobolusobolus
7Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
8Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
9Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
10Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
11Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →