“Oblivion” and "oblivious" are from the Latin oblivio, meaning “forgetfulness.”
The root of oblivio may be lēvis “smooth,” so with the prefix ob-, you get “to smooth over,” perhaps suggesting a wiping away.
It’s that blank smoothness that may give us the sense of “oblivion” as empty nothingness.
The root of oblivio may be lēvis “smooth,” so with the prefix ob-, you get “to smooth over,” perhaps suggesting a wiping away.
It’s that blank smoothness that may give us the sense of “oblivion” as empty nothingness.
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