entry
obfuscate
/ˈɒbfəskeɪt/To make unclear, dark, or confusing
From Latin ob- (in front of) + Latin fusc (dark).
from Latin ob- + fuscō (“to darken”). Doublet of dusken (“to darken, make obscure”). === Pronunciation === (Received...
from Latin obfuscatus , past participle of obfuscare "to darken" (usually in a figurative sense)
+1 more sourcefrom Old French offusquer, or directly
from Middle French obfusquer, offusquer
Word Ancestry
from Latin ob- + fuscō (“to darken”). Doublet of dusken (“to darken, make obscure”). === Pronunciation === (Received...
from Latin obfuscatus , past participle of obfuscare "to darken" (usually in a figurative sense)
+1 more sourcefrom Old French offusquer, or directly
from Middle French obfusquer, offusquer
This is one of those wonderfully honest words: it means to make something dark, and then it goes right ahead and sounds a little murky itself. The core is Latin fuscus, “dusky,” the same shadowy color-family behind words like subfusc, the old university term for sober dark dress. Add ob-, that slippery Latin prefix that can mean “toward,” “against,” or just intensify the whole business, and you get a verb built like a shutter sliding shut. English was using it by the 1500s; the older French forms offusquer and obfusquer helped usher it in, like a torch carried through a corridor. What makes the word so satisfying is that it still behaves exactly like its origin: when you obfuscate, you don’t merely explain badly — you dim the room until everybody is squinting. It is the linguistic equivalent of fog rolling over a courtroom.
The Story
This is one of those wonderfully honest words: it means to make something dark, and then it goes right ahead and sounds a little murky itself. The core is Latin fuscus, “dusky,” the same shadowy color-family behind words like subfusc, the old university term for sober dark dress. Add ob-, that slippery Latin prefix that can mean “toward,” “against,” or just intensify the whole business, and you get a verb built like a shutter sliding shut. English was using it by the 1500s; the older French forms offusquer and obfusquer helped usher it in, like a torch carried through a corridor. What makes the word so satisfying is that it still behaves exactly like its origin: when you obfuscate, you don’t merely explain badly — you dim the room until everybody is squinting. It is the linguistic equivalent of fog rolling over a courtroom.
Kin & Kindred
From 'ob-'·in front of, toward, against
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'fusc'·dark, dusky
Derived Terms
English words from this root