English word origin

Etymology of obit

From Anglo-Norman obit, Middle French obit, and their source, Latin obitus (“going down; death”), from obīre (“to go down, to die”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

The death of a person. · A mass or other service held for the soul of a dead person. · A record of a person's death.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Anglo-Norman obit, Middle French obit, and their source, Latin obitus (“going down; death”), from obīre (“to go down, to die”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*h₁ey-ine-pro
Unspecified derivation mentionobitfrm
Derivation mentionobitusla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₁ey-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "obit"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman obit"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "obit"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French obit"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
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        "2": "la",
        "3": "obitus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "going down; death"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin obitus (“going down; death”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "obit",
      "obit#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "obit",
      "obit#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "obitus",
      "obitus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "obīre",
      "obire#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The death of a person.",
        "A mass or other service held for the soul of a dead person.",
        "A record of a person's death."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "df164c28220a4555094d3886aa7b33e64979358a5e0f221ee296a798152d6ea2",
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

An obituary.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of obituary.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*h₁ey-ine-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "2": "obituary"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of obituary"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "obituary",
      "obituary#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An obituary."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial"
      ],
      "recordId": "78a78f55b4192756004aaa1fcaff402a32d7890de5005e0613f535ac977fe866",
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for obit →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-b2JpdA