obsolete

English

Etymology

From Latin obsoletus (“worn out, gone out of use”), past participle of obsolescere (“to wear out, fall into disuse, grow old, decay”); see obsolesce.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ɒbsəˈliːt/, X-SAMPA: /Qbs@ˈli:t/
• (US) enPR: äbsəˈlēt, IPA: /ɑbsəˈliːt/, X-SAMPA: /Abs@ˈli:t/

Adjective

obsolete (comparative more obsolete, superlative most obsolete)

1. (of words, equipment, etc.) no longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected (often by preference for something newer, which replaces the subject).

   In several years, it is speculated that the Internet's speedy delivery of news worldwide will make newspapers obsolete.

2. (biology) Imperfectly developed; not very distinct.

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "obsolete" is often applied: word, phrase, equipment, computer, technology, weapon, machine, law, statute, currency, building, idea, skill, concept, custom, theory, tradition, institution.

Synonyms

• (no longer in use): ancient, antiquated, antique, archaic, disused, neglected, old, old-fashioned, out of date
• (in biology: imperfectly developed): abortive, obscure, rudimental

Derived terms

• obsoleteness

Translations

no longer in use

• Arabic: عفا عليها الزمن (ar)
• Catalan: obsolet (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 淘汰 (cmn) (táotài), 過時 (cmn), 过时 (cmn) (guòshí), 廢棄 (cmn), 废弃 (cmn) (fèiqì)

• Danish: gået af brug (da), forældet (da)
• Dutch: verouderd (nl), achterhaald (nl)
• Finnish: vanhentunut (fi)
• French: obsolète (fr)
• German: veraltet (de), obsolet (de)
• Greek: απαρχαιωμένος (el) (aparchaioménos) m , ξεπερασμένος (el) (xeperasménos) m , παρωχημένος (el) (parochiménos) m 
• Hindi: अप्रचलित (hi) (apracalita)

• Hungarian: elavult (hu)
• Icelandic: úreltur (is) m
• Indonesian: usang (id)
• Irish: seanchaite (ga)
• Japanese: 廃れた (ja) (すたれた, sutareta)
• Korean: 폐어 (ko) (pe-eo)
• Polish: przestarzały (pl), zdezaktualizowany (pl)
• Portuguese: obsoleto (pt) m, obsoleta (pt) f
• Russian: устаревший (ru) (ustarévšij) 
• Spanish: obsoleto (es)
• Swedish: förlegad (sv)
• Tamil: வழக்கற்றுப்போன (ta)
• Turkish: eskimiş (tr)

in biology: imperfectly developed

• Catalan: rudimentari (ca)
• Dutch: rudimentair (nl)

• Greek: υποτυπώδης (el) (ypotypódis) m and f 
• Japanese: 退化した (ja) (たいかした, taika shita)

Verb

obsolete (third-person singular simple present obsoletes, present participle obsoleting, simple past and past participle obsoleted)

1. (US) To perform some action that causes, or attempts to cause, something to become obsolete.

   This software component has been obsoleted.

   We are in the process of obsoleting this product.

Usage notes

• To obsolete is often used in computing and other technical fields to indicate an effort to remove or replace something.
• Compare deprecated (“no longer considered correct usage”)

Related terms

• obsolesce
• obsolescence
• obsolescent
• obsoletion

Translations

to perform some action that causes something to become obsolete

• Japanese: 廃止する (haishi-suru)

External links

• obsolete in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• obsolete in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• obsolete at OneLook Dictionary Search

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Italian

Adjective

obsolete f pl (feminine plural form of obsoleto)

1. Feminine plural form of obsoleto

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Latin

Participle

obsolēte

1. vocative masculine singular of obsolētus