OBNUBILATE

[Dr. Goodword]

• obnubilate •

Pronunciation: ahb-nu-bê-lêt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. Cloudy, foggy, fuzzy, hazy. 2. Murky, obscure, vague, nebulous, inexplicit.

Notes: Today's word has a rich and happy family. There is the verb, also spelled obnubilate, but pronounced slightly differently, and a process noun, obnubilation. Obnubilate also has a sister adjective, obnubilous, with the same meaning, although it tends to be preferred when referring to physical clouds or fog.

In Play: There are so many English words with the literal and figurative meaning "murky" (see Meaning above) that we hardly need another. But this is a good word to use when you just want to show off your vocabulary: "His arguments are so obnubilate as to frustrate even the most meticulous attempts to penetrate them." Keep in mind this Good Word's good family, too: "Don't obnubilate the discussion with facts, Percival."

Word History: Today's word comes from the past participle of Latin obnubilare "to darken, obscure" from ob "before, in front of" + nubilare "to be cloudy or overcast." The stem of this word is the adjective nubilus "cloudy"—also in use in English as nubilous "cloudy; vague, unclear"—from nubes "cloud". It is apparently related to German Nebel "fog", Sanskrit nabhas "fog", and Russian nebo "sky", though exactly how the and the metathesized is itself a bit obnubilate. Latin also has the word nebula "cloud, fog" without the switch of the rounded vowel [o, u] with the unrounded one [i, e].

[skinem]

Great word! I'll have to try it next time I'm up on top of some mountain and see who tries to toss me off. (My friends prefer monosyllabic communication...)

By the way, I saw some examples of this while making a quick trip through Sluggo and Perry's country several days ago. From what I can see in the dark and from the freeway, it looks pretty in those parts!

[Bailey]

Great word! I'll have to try it next time I'm up on top of some mountain and see who tries to toss me off. (My friends prefer monosyllabic communication...)

All the aquaintances of mine that would try to toss me off a mountain or defenestrate me are monosyllabic also. I think that goes without saying.

mark prefers-polysyllabics Bailey

I think the difference is that the poly ones do their warring with words but monos are unarmed for that battle so in frustration they become more er, physically demonstrative.

[Perry]

Great word! I'll have to try it next time I'm up on top of some mountain and see who tries to toss me off. (My friends prefer monosyllabic communication...)

By the way, I saw some examples of this while making a quick trip through Sluggo and Perry's country several days ago. From what I can see in the dark and from the freeway, it looks pretty in those parts!

So why didn't you say you were coming through? I could have shown you that I am also "a judge of fine whiskey".

[skinem]

Thanks for the offer, Perry! I will definitely do that the next time I'm not called at 9 pm and told I have a presentation to make in Durham at 8:00 the next morning then back in Nashville the following morning for round 2...
I meant it when I said "quick trip"! Did you hear a sonic boom during the night week before last? That was me! I didn't think my truck would free fall that fast, much less drive that fast!

[sluggo]

Thanks for the offer, Perry! I will definitely do that the next time I'm not called at 9 pm and told I have a presentation to make in Durham at 8:00 the next morning then back in Nashville the following morning for round 2...
I meant it when I said "quick trip"! Did you hear a sonic boom during the night week before last? That was me! I didn't think my truck would free fall that fast, much less drive that fast!

You coulda saved yourself 300 miles by claiming to have heard "in Nashville" as "in Asheville"...

slug-not-home-irregardless-go

[Ferrus]

This is a good example of a word that can be used to instantly demonstrate that you are indeed more intelligent than your interlocutor.

[skinem]

This is a good example of a word that can be used to instantly demonstrate that you are indeed more intelligent than your interlocutor.

...or a poor judge of timing to reveal that little tidbit!

Welcome, Ferrus.

[Ferrus]

I shall warn you in advance that my humour is rather dry. Never goes down too well online.

[Bailey]

Then we shall all need lots of water, eh?

mark cough-cough-we're-all-pretty-dry Bailey

[Stargzer]

I shall warn you in advance that my humour is rather dry. Never goes down too well online.

Wry and Ginger. Speaking of which, I'm getting thirsty ...

[gailr]

Further confusing an obnubilated Holden with a pitcher of the rye?

[skinem]

Further confusing an obnubilated Holden with a pitcher of the rye?

I think gailr is holdin' all the aces in this bunch!

[Perry]

She is surely the most pellucid of us all!