obscuredadj.
/əbˈskjʊəd/, /əbˈskjɔːd/, U.S. /əbˈskjʊ(ə)rd/, /ɑbˈskjʊ(ə)rd/ 1. Made obscure; darkened, dimmed; hidden from the sight or perception. Also: fallen into obscurity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > darkness or absence of light > darkness or gloom > [adjective] > dim, dark, or obscure > darkened or obscured
cestreda1300
withschadowid1398
yshadewedc1400
obscuredc1485
obfuscatec1487
obscuratea1550
obnubilate1575
shadowed1600
overclouded1603
obfuscated1789
obnubilated1939
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > obscurity or ingloriousness > [adjective]
namelessc1330
ungloriousa1382
unfamousc1384
unglorifieda1395
unrenowned1525
gloryless1540
obscurec1540
incelebrateda1552
honourlessa1560
unnoted1566
eclipsed1587
irrenowned1590
inglorious1591
ungraced1595
unreputed1596
reputeless1598
unreckoned1599
undistinguished1600
unfamed1609
without name1611
unremarkable1628
uncried up1631
undignified1716
unapplauded1739
uncelebrated1740
renownless1821
bannerlessc1850
untrumpeted1859
anonymous1860
reportlessc1865
unillustrious1885
obscured1891
statusless1899
unarrived1902
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [adjective] > unnoted or ordinary > fallen into
obscured1891
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 23 Yat the thrid part of the mone was obscurit and myrk.
1579 E. Hale Newes Powles Churchyarde ii. sig. Bvii To such as..turne darknesse into lyght, and lyght into obscured sence.
1598 T. Bastard Chrestoleros iv. xxxiii. 99 The first, hath open'd learnings old conceald, And obscurde artes restored to the light.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) v. iii. 14 They are all couch'd in a pit hard by Hernes Oake, with obscur'd Lights. View more context for this quotation
1684 B. Keach Progress of Sin v. 108 The Quintescence of Beauty obscured, shadowed, eclipsed and utterly stained and darkned.
1764 G. Edwards in Philos. Trans. 1763 (Royal Soc.) 53 229 Reflections of obscured things in air, when reflected from the water.
1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles I. v. 69 Pages of works devoted to extinct, half-extinct, obscured, and ruined families.
1980 M. Frayn Make & Break ii, in Plays: One (1985) 354 (stage direct.) Garrard turns the element with the obscured glass in it, and reveals Olley.
1996 Times 9 Jan. 10/6 His hitherto obscured role in the French collaborationist government.
2. Phonetics. Of a vowel sound: having a neutral, centralized articulation; reduced. Cf. indeterminate adj. 2e.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > vowel > [adjective] > types of
openeOE
sharp?1533
simple1582
small1599
soft1625
obscurea1637
round1710
slender1755
close1760
wide1824
lowered1836
narrow1844
labialized1856
orinasal1856
central1857
reduced1861
free1864
high1867
low1867
mid1867
mixed1867
rounded1867
unrounded1871
raised1876
unreduced1894
obscured1897
spread1902
lax1909
slack1909
tense1909
centralized1926
flat1934
r-coloured1935
checked1943
1897 N.E.D. at For- pref.1 The OE. form (like the other forms quoted) seems to represent (with obscured vowel due to absence of stress) the three OTeut. prefixes fer-, fra-, fur-.
1925 G. P. Krapp Eng. Lang. in Amer. II. 250 Difficulty was expressed in disposing of this unstressed and obscured vowel.
1934 M. K. Pope From Lat. to Mod. French v. 119 The obscured neutral vowel in use in Modern English is buccal and central, the one in Modern French is a slightly rounded front sound.
1962 A. C. Gimson Introd. Pronunc. Eng. vii. 120 As the great variety of spellings indicates, /ə/ may represent the reduced (obscured, ‘schwa’) form of any vowel or diphthong in an unaccented position.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.c1485