'obtain' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'obtinere,' where 'ob-' meant 'toward' and 'tenere' (from 'tenēre') meant 'to hold'.

'obtain' changed from Old French 'obtenir' and entered Middle English as 'obteinen' or similar forms, eventually becoming the modern English 'obtain'.

Initially, it meant 'to hold or hold fast,' but over time it evolved into the sense 'to secure, get, or come into possession of,' which is its common modern meaning.