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obsolete

/ˈɒbsəliːt/

no longer used; out of date

From Latin ob (away) + Latin sol (to be accustomed).

adjective
verb
noun
ob
Latin
AI-inferred
ob
prefix meaning 'away from' or 'off'
Latin
Verified
obsoletus
the prefix joins the base to suggest something that has gone out of use

from Latin obsoletus "grown old, worn-out," past participle of obsolescere "fall into disuse, be forgotten about,...

+1 more source
sol
Latin
AI-inferred
solere
to be accustomed, to be wont to
Latin
AI-inferred
obsolescere
to fall out of use, grow old, become worn away
Latin
Verified
obsoletus
past participle: worn out, no longer current

from Latin obsoletus "grown old, worn-out," past participle of obsolescere "fall into disuse, be forgotten about,...

+1 more source
Combined
obsoletus
Latin participle that English borrowed in the 1570s
Modern English
AI-inferred
obsolete
adopted as an adjective for things no longer in use
Modern English
AI-inferred
obsolescence, obsolescent, obsolesce
later English descendants built from the same Latin base
Modern English
obsolete
“

This word is basically the sound of a thing being nudged out of the room. Latin took ob, meaning “away,” and glued it to solere, “to be accustomed,” so the whole idea is not just old age, but something that has slipped away from habit and daily life. That’s why obsolete has such a good family resemblance to insolent: both circle around solere, one by saying “out of use,” the other by saying “not used to proper restraint.” The Romans were already thinking in social habits, not just dates on a calendar. By the time English borrowed obsoletus in the 1570s, it had become the perfect label for anything that no longer had a place at the table—an object, a custom, even a whole technology. An obsolete thing isn’t merely old; it’s been politely shown the door.

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