Etymograph

English

obtundent

Obtundent comes from Latin obtundens ‘striking’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewd- ‘to push, to hit’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)tewd-1‘to push, to hit’next step skipped: Latin obtundō
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobtundens1‘striking’
  3. Englishtodayobtundent1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English obtundent

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)tewd-Wiktionary, English obtundent‘to push, to hit’next step skipped: Latin obtundō
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobtundensWiktionary, English obtundent‘striking’
  3. EnglishtodayobtundentWiktionary, English obtundent

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewd- ‘to push, to hit’

study, studio, student, obtuse, pertussis, etude, 10 more

Today it means

noun A substance which sheathes a part, or blunts irritation, usually some bland, oily, or mucilaginous matter; – nearly the same as demulcent.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “obtundent”. 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 *(s)tewd- / obtundent

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