ob-

c. 1600, "to free from obligation;" 1630s, "to refuse or neglect to oblige," from French désobliger (c. 1300), from des- (see dis-) + obliger, from Latin obligare "to bind, bind up, bandage," figuratively "put under obligation," from ob "to" (see ob-) + ligare "to bind," from PIE root *leig- "to tie, bind."

Colloquial sense of "put to inconvenience" is from 1650s (implied in disobligingness). Related: Disobliged; disobliging; disobligingly.

"a walking about," c. 1600, from Latin obambulationem (nominative obambulatio) "a going or walking about," noun of action from past-participle stem of obambulare "to go or walk about, walk past, walk near," from ob "about" (see ob-) + ambulare "to walk, go about" (see amble (v.)).