English
obtain
Obtain comes from Middle English obteinen, from Anglo-Norman obtenir, from Latin obtineō ‘to gain, possess’ (ob- + teneō ‘to hold’).
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō‘to hold’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEobtineō‘to gain, possess’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400obtenir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500obteinen
- Englishearliest quotation 1526obtain
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō‘to hold’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEobtineō‘to gain, possess’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400obtenir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500obteinen
- Englishearliest quotation 1526obtain
Earliest quotation: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “And a certayne ruler axed him: sayinge: Goode Master:…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’
content, continue, tight, tone, tennis, ton, tune, maintenance, entertainment, tender, continuous, detention, continent, contain, retention, tenant, retain, tenor, tonic, tendon, sustain, continuum, pertinent, pristine, tenacity, rein, abstinence, tenet, sustenance, countenance, tenement, incontinence, tetanus, abstention, detain, abstain, retinue, tenable, tantra, pertain, 71 more
through Latin tenēre ‘to hold’
Today it means
verb To get hold of; to gain possession of, to procure; to acquire, in any way.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin teneō / obtain