obiectio

Obiectio is a Latin noun meaning "an objection" or "the act of opposing." It comes from the verb obicio, meaning "to throw against" or "to oppose," formed with the prefix ob- and the verb iacere or icere.

In classical and medieval Latin literature, obiectio denotes a formal objection raised against a proposition, argument, or ruling. It was a common feature of scholastic disputation and other argumentative settings, where the standard sequence often followed with an obiectio, a responsio (response), and a solutio (solution or explanation). This structure helped organize debates and tested the soundness of a claim by anticipating and answering counterarguments.

In modern contexts, the word obiectio is primarily encountered in discussions of Latin texts, historical legal and philosophical practices, or canonical descriptions of disputation methods. In contemporary English, the equivalent term is objection, used to describe a formal challenge to a claim, evidence, or procedure in law, debate, or testimony. The Latin form obiectio is thus mainly of scholarly interest, signaling traditional or historical speech acts rather than current usage.

See also: Objection (law or debate), Obicere (to throw against), Scholastic disputation.