oblivion (Middle English)

Where does "oblivion" come from?

The English word 'oblivion' entered the language through Anglo-Norman 'oblivion'[1]. This trace descends from the Latin 'oblīviō'[1], a noun derived from the verb 'oblīvīscor' meaning 'I forget'[2]. Scholars suggest that 'oblīvīscor' itself may stem from the prefix 'ob-' combined with a root related to 'lēvis' or 'smooth', implying an original sense of 'start to erase'[3].

Open questions

The derivation of the Latin verb 'oblīvīscor' from the root of 'lēvis' remains uncertain among linguists. [3]
The etymological connection between the Latin 'lēvis' and the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁lengʷʰ-' involves several hypothetical steps of transition. [5]

Full etymology tree

oblivion (Middle English), 'oblivion (state of forgetting completely)'
- inherited oblivion (Anglo-Norman)
  - inherited oblivio (Latin), 'The act of forgetting, forgetfulness.'
    - derived obliviscor (Latin), 'to forget'
      - compound ob- (Latin), 'towards; against'
        inherited *op (Proto-Italic), 'towards'
        inherited *h₁epi (Proto-Indo-European), 'on, at, near'
      - compound levis (Latin), 'light, not heavy'
        inherited *leɣʷis (Proto-Italic), 'light'
        inherited *h₁lengʰwih₂- (Proto-Indo-European)
        derived *h₁léngʰus (Proto-Indo-European), 'lightweight'
        derived *h₁lengʷʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to move lightly, effortlessly'
        influence *breɣʷis (Proto-Italic), 'short, small'
      - suffix -ēscor (Latin)
    - suffix -io (Latin), 'Used to form abstract nouns from verbs.'

Ancestors

oblivio (Latin)

Descendants and derived words

oblivion (English)
oblivion (English)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris