Etymograph

English

obstination

Obstination comes from Latin obstinātus ‘Firmly set, fixed, resolved’, from Proto-Indo-European *stnéh₂ti ~ stn̥h₂énti ‘to place, to stand’, and ultimately from *steh₂-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-1‘to stand’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stnéh₂ti ~ stn̥h₂énti2‘to place, to stand’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*stanō2reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*stanō2reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobstinō3‘set one's mind firmly upon, resolve’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobstinātus3‘Firmly set, fixed, resolved’past participle of obstinō
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobstinatio3
  8. Englishtodayobstination3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *stnéh₂ti
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin obstino
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English obstination

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *stnéh₂ti‘to stand’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stnéh₂ti ~ stn̥h₂éntiWiktionary, Latin obstino‘to place, to stand’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*stanōWiktionary, Latin obstinoreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*stanōWiktionary, Latin obstinoreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobstinōWiktionary, English obstination‘set one's mind firmly upon, resolve’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobstinātusWiktionary, English obstination‘Firmly set, fixed, resolved’past participle of obstinō
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobstinatioWiktionary, English obstination
  8. EnglishtodayobstinationWiktionary, English obstination

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand’

state, system, post, stay, rest, stand, distance, assistant, stadium, assistance, stood, establish, stable, instance, assist, consistent, contest, stability, stem, distant, resist, constitution, instant, substance, persistent, testimony, insist, consist, stud, static, persist, stool, prostitute, extant, stale, prostitution, distal, stead, armistice, astute, 155 more

through Latin *stanō

destiny, destination, 2 more

Today it means

noun stubbornness

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “obstination”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *stnéh₂ti, Latin obstino. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- / obstination

Shirt and support for this word