Added 5 October 2026
obstacle
/ˈɒbstəkəl/ noun
In Latin: obstantia, obiectus, ōbex Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about obstacle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress, either physically or figuratively
A big obstacle to understanding the manual was that it had been poorly translated from the Japanese.
Origin
From Middle English obstacle, from Old French obstacle, from Latin obstāculum.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)