Where does “obscure” come from?
obscure (Middle English) comes from Old French obscur, from Latin obscūrus, 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.
Ancestry of “obscure”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | obscur | — |
| 2 | Latin | obscūrus | — |
| 3 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 4 | Latin | obolus | obolus |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |
Words derived from “obscure”