Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “ob-” come from?

ob- (German) comes from Latin ob-, from Latin obolus, from Ancient Greek ὀβολός, from Ancient Greek ὀβελός, from Ancient Greek βέλος, from Proto-Indo-European gʷélHos, from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.

ob- (German): over-, super-; ob-

Definitions

  1. over-, super-; ob-

Ancestry of “ob-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinob-towards; against
2Latinobolusobolus
3Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
4Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
5Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
6Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
7Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing

Words derived from “ob-”

  • obwohl
  • obgleich
  • Obhut
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →