obstructive
/əbˈstɹʌktɪv/uhb-STRUHK-tiv
UK form converted from the US by rule · unchecked/əbˈstɹʌktɪv/uhb-STRUHK-tiv
Meaningtending to obstruct
Common meaning: causing or meant to cause a blockage or delay
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- obtowards, against, in the way
- structto heap up; to buildLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1767 · scan
- iveadjective ending: tending to
‘towards, against, in the way’ + ‘to heap up’ → obstructive
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from obstruct + -ive.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), OBSTRUCT, p.400 · scan
Roots
- struō, strūxī, strūctum Latin “to heap up; to build”
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app