Obnubilate

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Dr. Goodword
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Obnubilate

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sat Dec 06, 2014 11:19 pm

• obnubilate •

Pronunciation: ahb-n(y)u-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 [ahb-n(y)u-bê-layt], 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].
• The Good Dr. Goodword

wurdpurrson
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby wurdpurrson » Sun Dec 07, 2014 4:35 am

Oh I quite like this word. There are days when I'm so preoccupied with necessary things that "foggy" just doesn't do the state of my brain justice. I once had a sister-in-law who was lovely but a bit ditzy, and her name was Nubia. Do you suppose her parents had foreknowledge of her personality when they named her?
:D

LukeJavan8
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby LukeJavan8 » Sun Dec 07, 2014 12:48 pm

:lol:



When I was teaching there were always a few in the room
who had their heads in the clouds. I wish I had this word
available back then.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

wurdpurrson
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby wurdpurrson » Sun Dec 07, 2014 4:31 pm

Would it be possible that you were an obnubilator (-er?), if that's the correct way of saying 'one who enabled their condition' with your teaching methods? Surely not!
:D

LukeJavan8
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby LukeJavan8 » Sun Dec 07, 2014 5:48 pm

Saints forbid. A hundred lashes with a wet noodle for your
thinking that.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

wurdpurrson
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby wurdpurrson » Sun Dec 07, 2014 6:39 pm

:roll:
Mea culpa
:lol:

LukeJavan8
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby LukeJavan8 » Sun Dec 07, 2014 10:56 pm

I knew the wet noodles would get you to think differently.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

wurdpurrson
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby wurdpurrson » Mon Dec 08, 2014 5:01 am

You're right, it was the noodles; I'm gluten intolerant, so pasta is verboten in my life. The repercussions are grim. You really know how to get to a person. . .

LukeJavan8
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon Dec 08, 2014 1:01 pm

:lol:
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

misterdoe
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby misterdoe » Thu Jan 29, 2015 12:22 am

I'll keep this word in mind next time a friend of mine makes mention of his local paper, the San Jose (California) Mercury News, which he tends to call the "Murky News."

LukeJavan8
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby LukeJavan8 » Thu Jan 29, 2015 12:44 am

The local rag is The World Herald, which I dub
the Weird Herald.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

George Kovac

Re: Obnubilate

Postby George Kovac » Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:51 pm

In describing the usages of “obnubilate,” Dr. Goodword observed that “There are so many English words with the literal and figurative meaning "murky" (see Meaning above) that we hardly need another.” True indeed. But there is so much in this world that is dark and inexplicit that it is no surprise we use so many words to deal with such matters.

I just read one of the most grisly puns on the various words which mean “murky”:

The state of Georgia this week executed Kelly Gissendaner for procuring the murder of her husband. (The actual knife wielder was given a sentence making him eligible for parole in 25 years.) Ms. Gissendaner’s execution was originally scheduled for March but her execution was “chaotically delayed” at the last minute because the lethal injection chemical had become “cloudy,” and was judged “too risky.” The sourcing of such lethal injection chemicals is controversial (reputable drug companies refuse to supply them), and Georgia officials refuse to disclose the vendor, the details of the execution or why the drug intended for the March execution date spoiled. The Economist grimly rebuked the Georgia officials with this arresting sentence:

“As a result, why the drugs meant to kill Ms Gissendaner turned cloudy is also opaque.”

http://www.economist.com/news/united-st ... -cruel-and

wurdpurrson
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Re: Obnubilate

Postby wurdpurrson » Fri Oct 02, 2015 1:21 am

GOOD one! Astute editor.


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