Where does “offensive” come from?
offensive (Italian) comes from Italian offensivo, from Medieval Latin offensivus, from Latin offensus, 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 (Italian): feminine plural of offensivo; plural of offensiva
Definitions
- feminine plural of offensivo; plural of offensiva
Ancestry of “offensive”, step by step
offensive traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian offensivo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | offensivo | offensive; insulting |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | offensivus | — |
| 3 | Latin | offensus | collision, knock, blow; offensive, odious |
| 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 Italian offensiva
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | offensiva | attack, assault, offensive; feminine singular of... |