Where does “offense” come from?
offense (Old French) comes from Latin offēnsā, from Latin offenso, from Latin offendō, 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 “offense”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | offēnsā | offense, violation of law |
| 2 | Latin | offenso | I strike or dash against; I falter, stumble over... |
| 3 | Latin | offendō | to hit, thrust, strike against something |
| 4 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 5 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |