obsolete
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See also: obsolète
English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From Latin obsoletus (“worn out, gone out of use”), past participle of obsolescere (“to wear out, fall into disuse, grow old, decay”); see obsolesce.
Adjective[edit]
obsolete (comparative more obsolete, superlative most obsolete)
- (of words, equipment, etc.) No longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected (often by preference for something newer, which replaces the subject).
- 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
- Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.
- It is speculated that, within a few years, the Internet's speedy delivery of news worldwide will make newspapers obsolete.
- (biology) Imperfectly developed; not very distinct.
- 1891, Charles Dixon, The Birds of Our Rambles: With a Companion for the Country, page 130:
- These two birds somewhat closely resemble each other, but the Sedge Warbler is russet-brown above, the feathers with dark centres, the pale buff eyestripe is very clearly defined, and the underparts are buffish white; the Reed Warbler is more olive on the upper parts, the feathers having no dark centres, the underparts are more inclined to buff, and the eyestripe is nearly obsolete.
Usage notes[edit]
- 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[edit]
- (no longer in use): antiquated, deprecated, disused, see also Thesaurus:obsolete
- (in biology: imperfectly developed): abortive, obscure, rudimental
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
no longer in use
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in biology: imperfectly developed
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Etymology 2[edit]
From Latin obsoleto (“degrade, soil, sully, stain, defile”)
Verb[edit]
obsolete (third-person singular simple present obsoletes, present participle obsoleting, simple past and past participle obsoleted)
- (transitive, US) To cause to become obsolete.
- This software component has been obsoleted.
- We are in the process of obsoleting this product.
Usage notes[edit]
- 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”).
Translations[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- obsolete in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- obsolete in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- obsolete at OneLook Dictionary Search
German[edit]
Adjective[edit]
obsolete
- inflected form of obsolet
Italian[edit]
Adjective[edit]
obsolete f pl (feminine plural form of obsoleto)
- Feminine plural form of obsoleto
Latin[edit]
Adverb[edit]
obsolētē
- old
Adjective[edit]
obsolēte
References[edit]
- obsolete in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
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