obey
pronunciation
How to pronounce obey in British English:
UK [əˈbeɪ]
How to pronounce obey in American English:
US [əˈbeɪ]
-
- Verb:
- be obedient to
Word Origin
- obey
- obey: [13] ‘To hear is to obey’ carries more than a germ of etymological truth. For obey comes via Old French obeir from Latin ōbēdīre, which meant literally ‘listen to’. It was a compound verb formed from the prefix ob- ‘to’ and audīre ‘hear’ (source of English audible). By classical times the metaphorical sense ‘obey’ had virtually taken over from the original ‘listen to’, and it is this sense that informs the related obedient [13] and obeisance [14].=> audible, obedient
- obey (v.)
- late 13c., from Old French obeir "obey, be obedient, do one's duty" (12c.), from Latin obedire, oboedire "obey, be subject, serve; pay attention to, give ear," literally "listen to," from ob "to" (see ob-) + audire "listen, hear" (see audience). Same sense development is in cognate Old English hiersumnian. Related: Obeyed; obeying.
Example
- 1. Do you think you would obey ?
- 2. But he had promised to obey !
- 3. In the end , you must obey or be caged like an animal or killed .
- 4. The populace have a duty to obey , leading to the interpretation of rousseau as condoning totalitarianism .
- 5. This includes rewarding dogs for good behavior and not expecting your dog to obey all your commands right away .