Etymograph

English

obstriction

Obstriction comes from Latin obstringō ‘to bind to or about’, from stringō ‘to draw tight together, to tie together’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- ‘to twist’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strengʰ-1‘to twist’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréngʰeti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strengō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstringō1‘to draw tight together, to tie together’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobstringō2as obstringere‘to bind to or about’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1671obstriction2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin obstringo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English obstriction
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes, […].: “Who made our Laws to bind us, not himſelf,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strengʰ-Wiktionary, Latin obstringo‘to twist’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréngʰetiWiktionary, Latin obstringoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strengōWiktionary, Latin obstringoreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstringōWiktionary, Latin obstringo‘to draw tight together, to tie together’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobstringōWiktionary, English obstrictionas obstringere‘to bind to or about’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1671obstrictionWiktionary, English obstriction. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes, […].: “Who made our Laws to bind us, not himſelf,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- ‘to twist’

strong, strength, string, 37 more

through Proto-Indo-European *stréngʰeti

restriction, vasoconstriction, 28 more

through Proto-Italic *strengō

restrict, restrain, constraint, constrain, constrictor, constriction, constrict, 30 more

through Latin stringō ‘to draw tight together, to tie together’

stress, district, strain, prestige, strict, strait, 40 more

Today it means

noun The state of being constrained, bound, obliged, or obligated.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “obstriction”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin obstringo. 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 *strengʰ- / obstriction

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