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" obscureness "

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    • \ äb-ˈskyu̇r \

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    [Adjective]  | "ob*scure" | \ äb-ˈskyu̇r \


    1: dark, dim

    2: shrouded in or hidden by darkness

    3: not clearly seen or easily distinguished : faint

    Origin: 15th century ;

     Middle English, "dark, unenlightened, incomprehensible," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French oscur, obscur "dark, dull, enigmatic," borrowed from Latin obscūrus "dim, dark, appearing faintly, imperfectly known, concealed from knowledge, incomprehensible," of uncertain origin;

      * Note : Latin obscūrus has traditionally been linked to a presumed Indo-European verbal base *skeu̯- "cover, conceal," and hence to an assortment of Germanic etyma, most formed with hypothesized root extensions of this base (compare {shower:1|shower:1}, {sky:1|sky:1})—hence, J. Pokorny, Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, p. 951, American Heritage Dictionary, Oxford Latin Dictionary, and the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition. However, etymological work of the last half-century has thrown doubt on the existence of such an etymon; in particular, the Sanskrit verb skunā́ti, glossed as "covers," has now been judged a late and isolated semantic development of a verb that meant "push, poke" in Vedic. The difficulty with any analysis of obscūrus that posits a meaning "cover" for -scūr- is that it makes little sense semantically compounded with the prefix and preposition obs)- "facing, in front of, toward/against" (compare ob oculōs "before one's eyes," obviam "in the way of"). It is not even certain that the word is correctly parsed as ob-scūrus, rather than obs-cūrus, as has been proposed by E. Hamp ("Some Italic and Celtic correspondences II," Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung, 96. Band, 1. Heft [1982/83], pp. 98-99). While acknowledging this problem, M. de Vaan suggests a relationship with the bases of Latin scaevus "left-hand" and obscēnus, obscaenus "ill-omened" (see: {obscene|obscene}), though he admits that supporting cognates in other Indo-European languages are lacking (Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages, Brill, 2008).;

    [Noun]  | "obscureness" 


    [Adjective]  | "obscure" 


    1: having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning;


      * e.g., " ... a fantasy writer who likes to put lots of obscure references and images in her tales of wizards and warlocks "




    2: not widely known;


      * e.g., " ... he's an obscure artist now, but he's sure to be famous someday "




    3: being without light or without much light;


      * e.g., " ... hid in an obscure spot among the trees "




     [ "Obscure" ]

    1:  Hard to understand: Difficult to understand because of not being fully or clearly expressed.

      * e.g.,  ...  An obscure passage in the manuscript. 

     [ "Obscure" ]

    2:  Indistinct: Not able to be seen or heard distinctly.

      * e.g.,  ...  Its outlines are obscure, but the object seems roughly cigar-shaped. 

     [ "Obscure" ]

    3:  Unimportant or unknown: not important or well-known.

      * e.g.,  ...  An obscure portrait painter. 

     [ "Obscure" ]

    4:  Known to few people: Unknown to most people, e.g. because of being hidden or remote.

      * e.g.,  ...  An obscure object. 

     [ "Obscure" ]

    5:  Dim: dark, shadowy, or clouded.

      * e.g.,  ...  An obscure corner of the hall. 

     [ "Obscure" ]

    1: A commonly used word in the dictionary of the Hipster.

      * e.g.,  ... Hipster: "Have you heard the new Peter Bjorn and John album?" 

     [ "Obscure" ]

    2: Used to define something that 'you wouldn't understand' or 'probably never heard of'.

      * e.g.,  ... Friend: "Who?" 

     [ "obscure" ]

    1: for someone to be extremely weird for what, very weird and sussy (sus)

      * e.g.,  ... steven is so obscure for what! 

     [ "obscurism" ]

    1: The practice of peppering daily life with obscure references (forgotten films, dead TV stars, unpopular book, defunct countries, etc.) as a subliminal means of showcasing one's education and one's wish to disassociate from the world of mass culture.

      * e.g.,  ... Jill has become such a master in obscurism that no one even knows what she's talking about anymore. 

     [ "obscurant" ]

    1: One who willfully hides information, especially to prevent others from attaining knowledge or wisdom; also, tending to obscure, pertaining to the act of obscuring.

      * e.g.,  ... "Why are you being such an obscurant!" 

     [ "Obscure" ]

    1: A term used to describe something that barely anyone knows about.

      * e.g.,  ... "Bruh, that Japanese retro game is hella obscure." 

     [ "Obscurity" ]

    1: The state of being insignificant on your own birthday

      * e.g.,  ... Ajitesh is so obscure, his instagram handle should be Obscurity. 

     [ "obscurity" ]

    1: a z-list celebrity. someone who's only claim to fame is having appeared on a reality tv show or other no-brain entertainment.

      * e.g.,  ... "they aren't so much a celebrity, more like an obscurity" 

     [ "obscuritiness" ]

    1: backgrouns; obscure

      * e.g.,  ... the obscuritiness of the whole situation is amazing! 

     [ "obscuritiness" ]

    2: the plural form of obscure

     [ "obscure" ]

    1: Not mainstream; weird. Trying to be different; a rebel.

      * e.g.,  ... Nick Delahaye is not mainstream, he is obscure because he listens to crappy music. 

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