abstruse
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
- From either French abstrus[1] or Latin abstrūsus (“hidden, concealed”), the perfect passive participle of abstrūdō (“conceal, to push away”)[2]; itself from ab, abs (“away”) + trūdō (“thrust, push”).[3]
- Cognate with German abstrus.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
abstruse (comparative abstruser or more abstruse, superlative abstrusest or most abstruse)
- (obsolete) Concealed or hidden out of the way; secret. [Attested from the late 16th century until the mid 18th century.][1]
- 1612, Thomas Shelton (translator), Miguel de Cervantes (Spanish author), The History of the Valorous and Wittie Knight-Errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha, Part 4, Chapter 15, page 500:
- O who is he that could carrie newes to our olde father, that thou wert but aliue, although thou wert hidden in the most abstruse dungeons of Barbarie; for his riches, my brothers and mine would fetch thee from thence.
- 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost:
- The eternal eye whose sight discerns abstrusest thoughts.
- 1612, Thomas Shelton (translator), Miguel de Cervantes (Spanish author), The History of the Valorous and Wittie Knight-Errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha, Part 4, Chapter 15, page 500:
- Difficult to comprehend or understand; recondite; obscure; esoteric. [First attested in the late 16th century.][1]
- 1548, Bishop John Hooper, A Declaration of the Ten Holy Comaundementes of Almygthye God, Chapter 17 Curiosity, Page 218:
- ...at the end of his cogitacions, fyndithe more abstruse, and doutfull obiections then at the beginning...
- 1748, David Hume, Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. § 13.
- It is certain that the easy and obvious philosophy will always, with the generality of mankind, have the preference above the accurate and abstruse;
- 1855, Henry Hart Milman, History of Latin Christianity:
- Profound and abstruse topics.
- 1548, Bishop John Hooper, A Declaration of the Ten Holy Comaundementes of Almygthye God, Chapter 17 Curiosity, Page 218:
Usage notes[edit]
- More abstruse and most abstruse are the preferred forms over abstruser and abstrusest.
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
difficult to comprehend
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concealed
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 2003 [1933], Brown, Lesley editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, edition 5th, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7, page 10:
- ^ 1976 [1909], Gove, Philip Babcock editor, Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam Co., ISBN 0-87779-101-5, page 8:
- ^ 1984 [1975], Urdang, Laurence editor, The Random House College Dictionary, New York, NY: Random House, Inc., ISBN 0-394-43600-8, page 7:
External links[edit]
- abstruse in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- abstruse in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
French[edit]
Adjective[edit]
abstruse
- feminine inflection of abstrus
Anagrams[edit]
German[edit]
Adjective[edit]
abstruse
- inflected form of abstrus
Latin[edit]
Participle[edit]
abstrūse
- vocative masculine singular of abstrūsus
