English
obsolete
Obsolete comes from Latin obsolētus ‘worn out, gone out of use’, and goes back to obsolēscere.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobsolēscere1‘to wear out, fall into disuse, grow old, decay’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobsolētus1‘worn out, gone out of use’past participle of obsolēscere
- Englishearliest quotation 1891obsolete1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English obsolete
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1891, Charles Dixon, The Birds of Our Rambles: With a Companion for the Country: “These two birds somewhat closely resemble each other, but…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobsolēscereWiktionary, English obsolete‘to wear out, fall into disuse, grow old, decay’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobsolētusWiktionary, English obsolete‘worn out, gone out of use’past participle of obsolēscere
- Englishearliest quotation 1891obsoleteWiktionary, English obsolete. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1891, Charles Dixon, The Birds of Our Rambles: With a Companion for the Country: “These two birds somewhat closely resemble each other, but…”
A compound of ob ‘in the direction of, to, towards’ + obs- + olēscere
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep- ‘to grab, snatch, get’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁éps
Proto-Indo-European *h₁óp(i)
Proto-Italic *op ‘towards’
Latin ob ‘in the direction of, to, towards’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘to grow, nourish’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂oléyeti
Proto-Italic *oleō
Latin *oleō
Latin olēscere
Every English word from Latin obsolēscere
Today it means
adj No longer in use or no longer useful; now disused or neglected (often in favour of something newer, better, or more fashionable); outmoded.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “obsolete”. 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 obsolēscere / obsolete