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Where does the word "obvious" come from? It comes from Latin obvius, and was adopted directly into English (1580s).
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Where does the word "obvious" come from? It comes from Latin obvius, and was adopted directly into English (1580s).
Obvious’s story begins in Latin: obvius meant “in the way, meeting.” 'ob-', in front, plus 'via', way. It reached English by 1580s as obvious. The sense 'plain to see' dates from the 1630s. Today, obvious means easily seen or understood.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient obvius "in the way, meeting", 'ob-', in front, plus 'via', way.
- Stage 2 · English · 1580s obvious "in the way", the sense 'plain to see' dates from the 1630s.