Etymology Explorer › Spanish

Where does “obstáculo” come from?

obstáculo (Spanish) comes from Latin obstaculum, from Latin obstō, 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.

obstáculo (Spanish): obstacle, hindrance, stumbling block, hurdle,...

Definitions

  1. obstacle, hindrance, stumbling block, hurdle,...

Ancestry of “obstáculo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinobstaculumobstacle, hindrance
2Latinobstō—
3Latinob-towards; against
4Latinobolusobolus
5Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
6Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
7Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
8Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
9Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →