To block something so that movement or progress is difficult or impossible.
From Latin "obstruere" meaning "to build against, block up," from "ob-" (against) and "struere" (to build). It originally referred to physically building something that blocks a passage.
Obstructing is like building a little wall in someone’s path—physically or metaphorically. That’s why we talk about "obstructing justice" as if someone is stacking bricks in front of the truth.
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