Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “obteinen” come from?

obteinen (Middle English) comes from Middle French obtenir, from Old French obtenir, from Latin obtineo, 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.

Ancestry of “obteinen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchobtenirto obtain
2Old Frenchobtenirto obtain
3LatinobtineoI have, occupy, possess, hold; I preserve, keep,...
4Latinob-towards; against
5Latinobolusobolus
6Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
7Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
8Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
9Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
10Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →