obscure
1. ob.scure \a:b-'skyu.(*)r, *b-\ aj [ME, fr. MF obscur, fr. L obscurus,
fr. ob- in the way + -]scurus (akin to Gk keuthein to conceal) - more at
HIDE 1: lacking or inadequately supplied with light : DARK, DUSKY 2a:
withdrawn from the centers of human activity : REMOTE {~)R country village}
2b: not readily understood or not clearly expressed : ABSTRUSE 2c: lacking
showiness or prominence : INCONSPICUOUS, HUMBLE {an ~ Roman poet} 2d: not
distinct : FAINT 3: constituting the unstressed vowel 8 or having
unstressed 8 as its valueM, AMBIGUOUS, EQUIVOCAL mean not clearly
understandable. OBSCURE implies a hiding or veiling of meaning through some
defect of full knowledge; DARK implies an imperfect or clouded revelation
often with ominous or sinister suggestion; VAGUE implies a lack of clear
formulation because imperfectly conceived or thought out; ENIGMATIC
stresses a puzzling, mystifying quality; CRYPTIC implies a purposely
concealed meaning; AMBIGUOUS and EQUIVOCAL both imply the use of the same
word in different senses, AMBIGUOUS usu. suggesting inadvertence and
EQUIVOCAL an attempt to confuse or evade - ob.scure.ly av SYN syn OBSCURE,
DARK, VAGUE, ENIGMATIC, CRYPTIC)
2. obscure vt 1: to make dark, dim, or indistinct 2: to conceal or hide by
covering or intervening 3: to reduce (a vowel) to the value 8
3. obscure n : OBSCURITY