English
obliviate
Obliviate may come from Old French oblivion ‘forgetfulness’, and goes back to Latin lēvis ‘smooth’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēvis1‘smooth’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoblīvīscor1‘to forget’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoblīviō1‘the act of forgetting, forgetfulness’uncertain
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400oblivion1‘forgetfulness’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1811obliviate1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English obliviate
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1811, George Grennell: “Time has not yet obliviated the veneration of our…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēvisWiktionary, English obliviate‘smooth’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoblīvīscorWiktionary, English obliviate‘to forget’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoblīviōWiktionary, English obliviate‘the act of forgetting, forgetfulness’uncertain
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400oblivionWiktionary, English obliviate‘forgetfulness’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1811obliviateWiktionary, English obliviate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1811, George Grennell: “Time has not yet obliviated the veneration of our…”
Linked words
through Latin lēvis ‘smooth’
leave, relevant, elevator, elevation, lever, levant, allege, elevate, alleviate, levee, leger, levity, levitation, levitate, 26 more
Today it means
verb To forget; to wipe from existence.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “obliviate”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin lēvis / obliviate