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obscure |
7 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Obscure \Ob*scure"\, v. i. To conceal one's self to hide; to keep dark. [Obs.] How! There's bad news I must obscure, and hear it --Beau. & Fl From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Obscure \Ob*scure"\, n. Obscurity. [Obs.] --Milton. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Obscure \Ob*scure"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Obscured}; p. pr & vb n. {Obscuring}.] [L. obscurare fr obscurus: cf OF obscurer. See {Obscure}, a.] 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. They are all couched in a pit hard by Herne's oak, with obscured lights. --Shak. Why, 't is an office of discovery, love, And I should be obscured. --Shak. There is scarce any duty which has been so obscured by the writings of learned men as this --Wake. And seest not sin obscures thy godlike frame? --Dryden. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Obscure \Ob*scure"\, a. [Compar. {Obscurer}; superl. {Obscurest}.] [L. obscurus orig., covered; ob- (see {Ob-}) + a root probably meaning, to cover; cf L. scutum shield, Skr. sku to cover: cf.F. obscur. Cf.{Sky}.] 1. Covered over shaded, or darkened; destitute of light; imperfectly illuminated; dusky; dim. His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. --Prov. xx 20. 2. Of or pertaining to darkness or night; inconspicuous to the sight; indistinctly seen; hidden; retired; remote from observation; unnoticed. The obscure bird Clamored the livelong night. --Shak. The obscure corners of the earth. --Sir J. Davies. 3. Not noticeable; humble; mean ``O base and obscure vulgar.'' --Shak. ``An obscure person.'' --Atterbury. 4. Not easily understood; not clear or legible; abstruse or blind; as an obscure passage or inscription. 5. Not clear, full, or distinct; clouded; imperfect; as an obscure view of remote objects. {Obscure rays} (Opt.), those rays which are not luminous or visible, and which in the spectrum are beyond the limits of the visible portion. Syn: Dark; dim; darksome; dusky; shadowy; misty; abstruse; intricate; difficult; mysterious; retired; unnoticed; unknown; humble; mean indistinct. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: obscure adj 1: not clearly understood or expressed; "an indeterminate turn of phrase"; "an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit"-Anatole Broyard; "their descriptions of human behavior become vague, dull, and unclear"- P.A.Sorokin; "vague...forms of speech...have so long passed for mysteries of science"- John Locke [syn: {indeterminate}, {vague}] 2: marked by difficulty of style or expression; "much that was dark is now quite clear to me"; "those who do not appreciate Kafka's work say his style is obscure" [syn: {dark}] 3: difficult to find "hidden valleys"; "a hidden cave"; "an obscure retreat" [syn: {hidden}] 4: not famous or acclaimed; "an obscure family"; "unsung heroes of the war" [syn: {unknown}, {unsung}] 5: not drawing attention; "an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet"; "an obscure flaw" [syn: {unnoticeable}] 6: remote and separate physically or socially; "existed over the centuries as a world apart"; "preserved because they inhabited a place apart"- W.H.Hudson; "tiny isolated villages remote from centers of civilization"; "an obscure village" [syn: {apart(p)}, {isolated}] v 1: make less visible or unclear; "The stars are obscured by the clouds" [syn: {befog}, {becloud}, {haze over}, {fog}, {cloud}, {mist}] 2: make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate" [syn: {confuse}, {blur}] [ant: {clarify}] 3: make obscure or unclear; "The distinction was obscured" [syn: {bedim}, {overcloud}] [ant: {clarify}] 4: conceal or hide by covering or intervening [syn: {blot out}, {obliterate}, {hide}] 5: make difficult to perceive by sight; "The foliage of the huge tree obscures the view of the lake" [syn: {benight}, {bedim}] From Jargon File (4.2.3, 23 NOV 2000) [jargon]: obscure adj Used in an exaggeration of its normal meaning, to imply total incomprehensibility. "The reason for that last crash is obscure." "The `find(1)' command's syntax is obscure!" The phrase `moderately obscure' implies that something could be figured out but probably isn't worth the trouble. The construction `obscure in the extreme' is the preferred emphatic form From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: OBSCURE "A Formal Description of the Specification Language OBSCURE", J. Loeckx TR A85/15, U Saarlandes Saarbrucken 1985. [{Jargon File}]
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