obscure

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English obscure, from Old French obscur, from Latin obscūrus (“dark, dusky, indistinct”), from ob- +‎ *scūrus, from Proto-Italic *skoiros, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃-. Doublet of oscuro. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) (without the pour–poor merger) IPA(key): /əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/ (pour–poor merger) IPA(key): /əbˈskjɔː(ɹ)/ (General American) IPA(key): /əbˈskjʊɹ/, /əbˈskjɝ/ Rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ), -ɜː(ɹ) Hyphenation: ob‧scure === Adjective === obscure (comparative obscurer or more obscure, superlative obscurest or most obscure) Dark, faint or indistinct. 1892, Denton Jaques Snider, Inferno, 1, 1-2 (originally by Dante Alighieri) I found myself in an obscure wood. Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous. Difficult to understand; abstruse. Not well-known. Unknown or uncertain; unclear. ==== Usage notes ==== The comparative obscurer and superlative obscurest, though formed by valid rules for English, are less common than more obscure and most obscure. ==== Synonyms ==== (dark): cimmerian, dingy; See also Thesaurus:dark (faint or indistinct): fuzzy, ill-defined; See also Thesaurus:indistinct (hidden, out of sight): occluded, secluded; See also Thesaurus:hidden (difficult to understand): fathomless, inscrutable; See also Thesaurus:incomprehensible (not well-known): enigmatic, esoteric, mysterious; See also Thesaurus:arcane ==== Antonyms ==== clear ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === obscure (third-person singular simple present obscures, present participle obscuring, simple past and past participle obscured) (transitive) To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious. c. 1688', William Wake, Preparation for Death There is scarce any duty which has been so obscured in the writings of learned men as this. (transitive) To hide, put out of sight etc. (intransitive, obsolete) To conceal oneself; to hide. ==== Synonyms ==== (to render obscure; to darken; dim): becloud, bedarken, bedim, bemist ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === “obscure”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “obscure”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. === Anagrams === Cuberos == French == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɔp.skyʁ/ === Adjective === obscure feminine singular of obscur === Anagrams === courbes == Latin == === Adjective === obscūre vocative masculine singular of obscūrus === References === “obscure”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press “obscure”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers “obscure”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.