obey [ME] Latin oboedire ‘pay attention to’ is based on ob- ‘towards, on account of’ and audire ‘to hear’ (see audience). In the traditional Church of England wedding vows the husband promised ‘to love and cherish’ his wife ‘till death us do part’, while the wife promised to ‘love, cherishd obey’ her husband. The original She who must be obeyed was the title of the beautiful sorceress Ayesha in the adventure story She (1887) by Sir H. Rider Haggard.