problemproblem

Problem comes from Middle English probleme ‘a conundrum’, from Ancient Greek πρόβλημα ‘anything thrown forward, hindrance, obstacle,…’, and ultimately from βάλλω.

1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλω¹bállō‘to throw’
2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπροβάλλω¹probállō‘to throw or lay something in front of someone’
3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρόβλημα¹próblēma‘anything thrown forward’
4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEproblēma¹‘problem’
5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600probleme¹
6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500probleme¹‘a conundrum’
7. Englishearliest quotation 1910problem¹

1. ¹ Wiktionary, English problem
2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1910, Emerson Hough, Indianapolis: ““[…] it is not fair of you to bring…”.