English
objective
Objective comes from Middle English obgectyf, from Middle French objectif and Medieval Latin obiectīvus, from Latin obiciō ‘to present’, from iaciō ‘to throw’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)yeh₁-‘to throw’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)yéh₁kt ~ *(H)ih₁kéntreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiaciō‘to throw, hurl’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEobiciō‘to present, expose’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500obiectīvus
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600objectif
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500obgectyf
- Englishearliest quotation 1912objective
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)yeh₁-‘to throw’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)yéh₁kt ~ *(H)ih₁kéntreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiaciō‘to throw, hurl’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEobiciō‘to present, expose’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500obiectīvus
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600objectif
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500obgectyf
- Englishearliest quotation 1912objective
Earliest quotation: 1912, George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion. Preface.: “His [Henry Sweet's] true objective was the provision of…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁- ‘to throw’
year, hour, catheter, trajectory, enema, jut, iambic, abject, jetsam, 40 more
through Proto-Indo-European *(H)yéh₁kt ~ *(H)ih₁ként
projection, projectile, dejection, 26 more
through Latin iaciō ‘to throw, hurl’
disease, project, ease, adjacent, jet, jess, injection, gist, conjecture, inject, jetty, ejaculation, ejaculate, adjective, ejection, eject, joist, jettison, interject, subjection, 31 more
Today it means
adj Of or relating to a material object, actual existence or reality.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁- / objective