English
obstruct
Obstruct comes from English ob ‘against’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to spread, strew’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-‘to spread, strew’root as named
- English1500–presentob‘against’
- Englishtodayobstruct
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-‘to spread, strew’root as named
- English1500–presentob‘against’
- Englishtodayobstruct
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to spread, strew’
construction, destroy, structure, instrument, strain, destruction, straw, stray, instructor, destructive, construct, instruct, perestroika, construe, stripling, 13 more
Today it means
verb To block or fill (a passage) with obstacles or an obstacle.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *strew- / obstruct