Result from Foreign Dictionaries (6 entries found)

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Obscure \Ob*scure"\ ([o^]b*sk[=u]r"), a. [Compar. {Obscurer} ([o^]b*sk[=u]r"[~e]r); 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}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Covered over, shaded, or darkened; destitute of light; imperfectly illuminated; dusky; dim. [1913 Webster] His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. --Prov. xx. 20. [1913 Webster] 2. Of or pertaining to darkness or night; inconspicuous to the sight; indistinctly seen; hidden; retired; remote from observation; unnoticed. [1913 Webster] The obscure bird Clamored the livelong night. --Shak. [1913 Webster] The obscure corners of the earth. --Sir J. Davies. [1913 Webster] 3. Not noticeable; humble; mean. "O base and obscure vulgar." --Shak. "An obscure person." --Atterbury. [1913 Webster] 4. Not easily understood; not clear or legible; abstruse or incomprehensible; as, an obscure passage or inscription. [1913 Webster] 5. Not clear, full, or distinct; clouded; imperfect; as, an obscure view of remote objects. [1913 Webster] {Obscure rays} (Opt.), those rays which are not luminous or visible, and which in the spectrum are beyond the limits of the visible portion. [1913 Webster] Syn: Dark; dim; darksome; dusky; shadowy; misty; abstruse; intricate; difficult; mysterious; retired; unnoticed; unknown; humble; mean; indistinct. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Obscure \Ob*scure"\ ([o^]b*sk[=u]r"), v. i. To conceal one's self; to hide; to keep dark. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] How! There's bad news. I must obscure, and hear it. --Beau. & Fl. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Obscure \Ob*scure"\, n. Obscurity. [Obs.] --Milton. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Obscure \Ob*scure"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Obscured} ([o^]b*sk[=u]rd"); 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. [1913 Webster] They are all couched in a pit hard by Herne's oak, with obscured lights. --Shak. [1913 Webster] Why, 't is an office of discovery, love, And I should be obscured. --Shak. [1913 Webster] There is scarce any duty which has been so obscured by the writings of learned men as this. --Wake. [1913 Webster] And seest not sin obscures thy godlike frame? --Dryden. [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: obscure adj 1: not clearly understood or expressed; "an obscure 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: {obscure}, {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}, {obscure}] 3: difficult to find; "hidden valleys"; "a hidden cave"; "an obscure retreat" [syn: {hidden}, {obscure}] 4: not famous or acclaimed; "an obscure family"; "unsung heroes of the war" [syn: {obscure}, {unknown}, {unsung}] 5: not drawing attention; "an unnoticeable cigarette burn on the carpet"; "an obscure flaw" [syn: {obscure}, {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}, {obscure}] v 1: make less visible or unclear; "The stars are obscured by the clouds"; "the big elm tree obscures our view of the valley" [syn: {obscure}, {befog}, {becloud}, {obnubilate}, {haze over}, {fog}, {cloud}, {mist}] 2: make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions" [syn: {confuse}, {blur}, {obscure}, {obnubilate}] 3: make obscure or unclear; "The distinction was obscured" [syn: {obscure}, {bedim}, {overcloud}] 4: reduce a vowel to a neutral one, such as a schwa 5: make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing; "a hidden message"; "a veiled threat" [syn: {obscure}, {blot out}, {obliterate}, {veil}, {hide}] From The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003) [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.