obscurus

Latin

Etymology

From ob- + *scūrus (“covered”), from Proto-Indo-European *skuH-ro-, from *(s)kewH- (“to cover”). Cognates include Latin cūlus (“anus, buttocks”), cutis (“hide”), maybe scūtum, Sanskrit स्कुनाति (skunā́ti, “to cover”), Ancient Greek σκύλος (skúlos, “hide”) and σκῦτος (skûtos, “hide, leather”) and Old English scēo (“sky”), scuwa (“shade, darkness, protection”), English hide, house, hose, sky, shoe.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /obˈskuː.rus/, [ɔpˈs̠kuːrʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /obˈsku.rus/, [obˈskuːrus]

Adjective

obscūrus (feminine obscūra, neuter obscūrum, comparative obscūrior, superlative obscūrissimus); first/second-declension adjective

1. dark, dusky, shadowy
2. indistinct, unintelligible, obscure
3. intricate, involved, complicated
4. unknown, unrecognized
5. (of character) reserved, secret, close

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	obscūrus	obscūra	obscūrum		obscūrī	obscūrae	obscūra
Genitive	obscūrī	obscūrae	obscūrī		obscūrōrum	obscūrārum	obscūrōrum
Dative	obscūrō		obscūrō		obscūrīs
Accusative	obscūrum	obscūram	obscūrum		obscūrōs	obscūrās	obscūra
Ablative	obscūrō	obscūrā	obscūrō		obscūrīs
Vocative	obscūre	obscūra	obscūrum		obscūrī	obscūrae	obscūra

Derived terms

• obscūrē
• obscūridicus
• obscūrēfaciō
• obscūriloquium
• obscūritās
• obscūrō
• obscūrum

Related terms

• obscūrātiō

Descendants

• Aromanian: scur, scuru
• Catalan: obscur
• Czech: obskurní
• German: obskur
• Dalmatian: sčor
• English: obscure
• French: obscur
• Galician: escuro
• Hungarian: obskúrus
• Italian: oscuro, scuro

• Maltese: oskur, skur
• Occitan: escur
• Portuguese: obscuro, escuro
• Romanian: obscur
• Romansch: stgir, stgeir, s-chür
• Sardinian: iscuru, scuru
• Sicilian: scuru
• Spanish: obscuro, oscuro, escuro
• Swedish: obskyr
• Venetian: scuro, scur

References

• “obscurus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “obscurus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• obscurus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • of humble, obscure origin: humilibus (obscuris) parentibus natus
    
  • this passage is obscure: hic (ille) locus obscurus est
    
  • (ambiguous) of humble, obscure origin: humili, obscuro loco natus