Obvious
late 16th century (in the sense ‘frequently encountered’): from Latin obvius (from the phrase ob viam ‘in the way’) + -ous.
wiktionary
16th century, from Latin obvius(“being in the way so as to meet, meeting, easy to access, at hand, ready, obvious”), from ob-(“before”) + via(“way”). In order to avoid an awkward form such as *obvy, the Latin ending -us was maintained in the form -ous (which is otherwise equivalent to Latin -osus).
etymonline
obvious (adj.)
1580s, "frequently met with" (a sense now obsolete), from Latin obvius "that is in the way, presenting itself readily, open, exposed, commonplace," from obviam (adv.) "in the way," from ob "in front of, against" (see ob-) + viam, accusative of via "way" (from PIE root *wegh- "to go, move, transport in a vehicle"). Meaning "plain to see, evident" is recorded from 1630s. Related: Obviously; obviousness.
