abstruse

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From French abstrus or its source, Latin abstrūsus (“hidden, concealed”), the perfect passive participle of abstrūdō (“conceal, to push away”), itself from ab, abs (“away”) + trūdō (“thrust, push”). Cognate with German abstrus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əbˈstɹuːs/
• IPA^(key): /æbˈstɹus/, /əb-/
• Rhymes: -uːs
• Hyphenation: ab‧struse

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Adjective

abstruse (comparative abstruser or more abstruse, superlative abstrusest or most abstruse)

1. Difficult to comprehend or understand. [First attested in the late 16^th century.]

   Synonyms: recondite, obscure, esoteric

   • 1548, Bishop John Hooper, “Curiosity”, in A Declaration of the Ten Holy Comaundementes of Almygthye God, page 218:

     […] at the end of his cogitacions / fyndithe more abſtruſe, and doutfull obiections thē at the beginning […]

   • 1748, David Hume, “An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding”, in Essays and Treatises on Several Subjects‎^[1], new edition, volume II, London: T. Cadell, published 1772, section I, page 4:

     It is certain that the eaſy and obvious philoſophy will always, with the generality of mankind, have the preference above the accurate and abſtruſe ; and by many will be recommended, not only as more agreeable, but more uſeful than the other.

   • 1854, Henry Hart Milman, “Pelagianism”, in History of Latin Christianity, volume I, London: John Murray, book II:

     A second rescript followed, commanding all bishops not merely to subscribe to the dominant opinions on these profound and abstruse topics, but to condemn their authors, Pelagius and Cœlestius, as irreclaimable heretics, and this under pain of deprivation and banishment.

2. (obsolete) Concealed or hidden out of the way; secret. [Attested from the late 16^th century until the mid 18^th century.]
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC, lines 709–714:

     […] Mean while th’ Eternal eye, whoſe ſight diſcernes / Abſtruſeſt thoughts, from forth his holy Mount / And from within the golden Lamps that burne / Nightly before him, ſaw without their light / Rebellion riſing, ſaw in whom, how ſpred / Among the ſons of Morn, what multitudes / Were banded to oppoſe his high Decree […]

Usage notes

• "More abstruse" and "most abstruse" are the preferred forms over "abstruser" and "abstrusest".

Synonyms

• (concealed): clandestine, secret, surreptitious; See also Thesaurus:covert
• (difficult to comprehend): esoteric, obscure, recondite; See also Thesaurus:incomprehensible

Derived terms

• abstrusely
• abstruseness

Translations

difficult to comprehend

• Bulgarian: неясен (bg) (nejasen), труден за разбиране (truden za razbirane)
• Dutch: onbevattelijk, ondoorgrondelijk (nl)
• Finnish: vaikeaselkoinen (fi)
• French: abstrus (fr)
• Greek: δυσνόητος (el) m (dysnóitos), ασαφής (el) m (asafís)
• Interlingue:
• Italian: astruso (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: ākahukahu
• Occitan: abstrús
• Portuguese: abstruso (pt) m, abstruso (pt)
• Spanish: abstruso (es) m
• Swedish: svårfattlig (sv), dunkel (sv), abstrus (sv)
• Telugu: గూఢము (te) (gūḍhamu)

(obsolete) concealed

• Bulgarian: скрит (bg) (skrit)
• Dutch: verborgen (nl), versluierd (nl)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: abstruso (pt)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: ^{(please verify)} abstrus (de), ^{(please verify)} unfaßbar (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Further reading

• “abstruse”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “abstruse”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Staubers, Straubes, surbates, surbeats

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French

Adjective

abstruse

1. feminine singular of abstrus

Anagrams

• arbustes

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German

Adjective

abstruse

1. inflection of abstrus:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

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Latin

Participle

(deprecated template usage) abstrūse

1. vocative masculine singular of abstrūsus

References

• “abstruse”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press