Obstructing

How to spell obstructing

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce obstructing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does obstructing mean?

1. verbBlocking a path, view, or process so that movement or progress is prevented.

Obstructing in a sentence

• The parked van was obstructing the entrance to the car park.

• He was charged with obstructing a police officer during the investigation.

Where does obstructing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb obstruere, which meant 'to build against' or 'to block up'. It combines the prefix ob-, meaning 'against' or 'in the way of', with struere, 'to pile up' or 'to build'. The same struere root quietly powers a whole family of English words, including 'structure', 'construct', 'instruct', and 'destroy', all of which share the idea of building or arranging. English took the verb 'obstruct' from the past participle stem obstructus in the early 1600s, and the -ing form simply adds the ordinary English present participle ending. Remembering the building sense of 'struct' helps fix the central consonant cluster, since you are picturing something built up to bar the way.

How the word is built

• ob- (against, in the way)
• struct (build, pile up)
• -ing (present participle suffix)