entry
obstinate
/ˈɑb.stə.nət/Unreasonably stubborn or unwilling to change
From Latin ob (before) + Latin stinare (to stand firmly).
from PIE *ste-no-
from Latin obstinatus "resolute, resolved, determined, inflexible, stubborn," past participle of obstinare "persist,...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin obstinatus "resolute, resolved, determined, inflexible, stubborn," past participle of obstinare "persist,...
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English obstinat(e) (“obstinate, stubborn”)
Word Ancestry
from PIE *ste-no-
from Latin obstinatus "resolute, resolved, determined, inflexible, stubborn," past participle of obstinare "persist,...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin obstinatus "resolute, resolved, determined, inflexible, stubborn," past participle of obstinare "persist,...
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English obstinat(e) (“obstinate, stubborn”)
Picture a Roman who has planted his sandals in the road and refuses to budge: that is the image at the heart of obstinate. Latin obstinō meant “to persist” or “set one’s mind firmly,” built around the notion of standing—related to stare, “to stand,” and ultimately the reconstructed PIE root *sta-, the ancestor of stand, stance, status, and stable. The prefix ob- added the sense of positioning oneself before or against something, so an obstinate person was not merely steady but deliberately standing in the way. By the late 14th century, English had obstinat(e), while the related musical term ostinato preserved the idea of a stubbornly repeated pattern. A person can therefore be obstinate, while a melody can be ostinato: both keep standing their ground, even when everyone else—or the music—has moved on.
The Story
Picture a Roman who has planted his sandals in the road and refuses to budge: that is the image at the heart of obstinate. Latin obstinō meant “to persist” or “set one’s mind firmly,” built around the notion of standing—related to stare, “to stand,” and ultimately the reconstructed PIE root *sta-, the ancestor of stand, stance, status, and stable. The prefix ob- added the sense of positioning oneself before or against something, so an obstinate person was not merely steady but deliberately standing in the way. By the late 14th century, English had obstinat(e), while the related musical term ostinato preserved the idea of a stubbornly repeated pattern. A person can therefore be obstinate, while a melody can be ostinato: both keep standing their ground, even when everyone else—or the music—has moved on.
Kin & Kindred
From 'ob'·before, against, or in the way of
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'stinare'·to stand firmly, persist, or set one’s mind upon
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary