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Obscure

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Obscure
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ob⋅scure

  [uhb-skyoor] adjective, -scur⋅er, -scur⋅est, verb, -scured, -scur⋅ing, noun
Use Obscure in a Sentence
–adjective
1. (of meaning) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain: an obscure sentence in the contract.
2. not clear to the understanding; hard to perceive: obscure motivations.
3. (of language, style, a speaker, etc.) not expressing the meaning clearly or plainly.
4. indistinct to the sight or any other sense; not readily seen, heard, etc.; faint.
5. inconspicuous or unnoticeable: the obscure beginnings of a great movement.
6. of little or no prominence, note, fame, or distinction: an obscure French artist.
7. far from public notice, worldly affairs, or important activities; remote; retired: an obscure little town.
8. lacking in light or illumination; dark; dim; murky: an obscure back room.
9. enveloped in, concealed by, or frequenting darkness.
10. not bright or lustrous; dull or darkish, as color or appearance.
11. (of a vowel) having the reduced or neutral sound usually represented by the schwa (ə).
–verb (used with object)
12. to conceal or conceal by confusing (the meaning of a statement, poem, etc.).
13. to make dark, dim, indistinct, etc.
14. to reduce or neutralize (a vowel) to the sound usually represented by a schwa (ə).
–noun
15. obscurity.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < OF oscur, obscur < L obscūrus dark

Related forms:
ob⋅scur⋅ed⋅ly  [uhb-skyoor-id-lee] , ob⋅scure⋅ly, adverb
ob⋅scure⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. doubtful, dubious. See mysterious. 4. blurred, veiled. 6. undistinguished, unnoted, unknown. 7. secluded, inconspicuous, unnoticeable, unnoticed. 8. cloudy, dusky, somber. See dark.

Antonyms:
1. certain. 4. clear. 6. noted. 7. conspicuous. 8. bright.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Obscure
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ob·scure   (ŏb-skyŏŏr', əb-)   
adj.   ob·scur·er, ob·scur·est

  1. Deficient in light; dark.

    1. So faintly perceptible as to lack clear delineation; indistinct. See Synonyms at dark.

    2. Indistinctly heard; faint.

    3. Linguistics Having the reduced, neutral sound represented by schwa (ə).

    4. Far from centers of human population: an obscure village.

    5. Out of sight; hidden: an obscure retreat.

    1. Far from centers of human population: an obscure village.

    2. Out of sight; hidden: an obscure retreat.

  4. Not readily noticed or seen; inconspicuous: an obscure flaw.

  5. Of undistinguished or humble station or reputation: an obscure poet; an obscure family.

  6. Not clearly understood or expressed; ambiguous or vague: "an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit" (Anatole Broyard). See Synonyms at ambiguous.

tr.v.   ob·scured, ob·scur·ing, ob·scures

  1. To make dim or indistinct: Smog obscured our view. See Synonyms at block.

  2. To conceal in obscurity; hide: "Unlike the origins of most nations, America's origins are not obscured in the mists of time" (National Review).

  3. Linguistics To reduce (a vowel) to the neutral sound represented by schwa (ə).

n.  Something obscure or unknown.

[Middle English, from Old French obscur, from Latin obscūrus; see (s)keu- in Indo-European roots.]
ob·scure'ly adv., ob·scure'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

obscure  (adj.)
c.1400, from O.Fr. obscur "dark, dim, not clear," from L. obscurus "covered over, dark, obscure, indistinct," from ob "over" + -scurus "covered," from PIE *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal;" source of O.N. sky, O.E. sceo "cloud," and L. scutum "shield" and Gk. skeue "dress" (see sky). The verb is first recorded 1432. Obscurity is attested from 1481 in sense of "absence of light;" 1619 with meaning "condition of being unknown." Obscurantism (1834) is from Ger. obscurantismus (18c.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

OBSCURE
"A Formal Description of the Specification Language OBSCURE", J. Loeckx, TR A85/15, U Saarlandes, Saarbrucken, 1985.
[The Jargon File]

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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