fuliginous

adjective

fu·lig·i·nous fyu̇-ˈli-jə-nəs How to pronounce fuliginous (audio)

: sooty

: obscure, murky

: having a dark or dusky color

fuliginously adverb

Did you know?

Fuliginous is a word with a dark and dirty past - it derives from "fuligo," the Latin word for "soot." In an early sense (now obsolete), "fuliginous" was used to describe noxious bodily vapors once thought to be produced by organic processes. The "sooty" sense, which English speakers have been using since the early 1620s, can be used to describe everything from dense fogs and malevolent clouds to overworked chimney sweeps. "Fuliginous" can also be used to refer to something dark or dusky, as in Henry James' novel The Ambassadors, in which the character Waymarsh is described as having "dark fuliginous eyes."

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin fūlīginōsus "covered with soot," from Latin fūlīgin-, fūlīgō "soot" + -ōsus -ous; fūlīgō, from fūlī- (going back to Indo-European *d^huh₂-li- "smoke, dust," whence also Sanskrit dhūli- "dust," Lithuanian dū́lis "mist, dust from tree rot used to drive out bees") + -gin-, -gō, suffix denoting something coating or enveloping, usually undesirable, as rōbīgō "rust," mellīgō "bee glue"

Note: Indo-European *d^huh₂-li- is usually taken to be a nominal derivative of the verbal base *d^hu̯eh₂- or *d^heu̯h₂- "produce smoke by burning"—see fume entry 1.

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

fuliginous

adjective

as in ambiguous

having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning a fuliginous prose style that's not exactly ideal for writing for the mass media

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

ambiguous
cryptic
dark
obscure
mystic
enigmatical
murky
enigmatic
mysterious
vague
esoteric
opaque
nebulous
obscurant
inscrutable
equivocal
deep
elliptical
occult
unclear
questionable
arcane
indistinct
elliptic
uncertain
eerie
shadowy
recondite
Delphic
faint
uncanny
misty
hazy
fuzzy
befogged
confusing
weird
abstruse
shrouded
beclouded
cloaked
obfuscatory
indirect
indistinguishable
foggy
incomprehensible
disguised
muddy
clouded
inexplicit
dim
inexplicable
double-edged
inappreciable
invisible
eery
indefinite
impalpable
complicated
shaded
bedimmed
concealed
indecipherable
undefined
sphinxlike
inexact
masked
impenetrable
cloudy
complex
obscurantic
difficult
bewildering
obtuse
unanswerable
unknowable
puzzling
undetermined
unfathomable
confounding
intangible
noncommittal
shadowlike
baffling
perplexing
circuitous
mystifying
roundabout
obnubilated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

obvious
plain
unambiguous
clear
unequivocal
distinct
intelligible
legible
evident
comprehensible
certain
accessible
bright
pellucid
understandable
strong
knowable
nonambiguous
fathomable
sure
firm
direct
defined
explicit
visible
definite
unmistakable
exact
straightforward
palpable
appreciable
tangible
self-evident
blatant
determined
self-explanatory
patent

单词	fuliginous
释义	fuliginous adjective fu·lig·i·nous fyu̇-ˈli-jə-nəs 1 a : sooty b : obscure, murky 2 : having a dark or dusky color fuliginously adverb Did you know? Fuliginous is a word with a dark and dirty past - it derives from "fuligo," the Latin word for "soot." In an early sense (now obsolete), "fuliginous" was used to describe noxious bodily vapors once thought to be produced by organic processes. The "sooty" sense, which English speakers have been using since the early 1620s, can be used to describe everything from dense fogs and malevolent clouds to overworked chimney sweeps. "Fuliginous" can also be used to refer to something dark or dusky, as in Henry James' novel The Ambassadors, in which the character Waymarsh is described as having "dark fuliginous eyes." Synonyms ambiguous arcane cryptic dark deep Delphic double-edged elliptical elliptic enigmatic enigmatical equivocal inscrutable murky mysterious mystic nebulous obscure occult opaque See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences a fuliginous prose style that's not exactly ideal for writing for the mass media Word History Etymology borrowed from Late Latin fūlīginōsus "covered with soot," from Latin fūlīgin-, fūlīgō "soot" + -ōsus -ous; fūlīgō, from fūlī- (going back to Indo-European d^huh₂-li- "smoke, dust," whence also Sanskrit dhūli-* "dust," Lithuanian dū́lis "mist, dust from tree rot used to drive out bees") + -gin-, -gō, suffix denoting something coating or enveloping, usually undesirable, as rōbīgō "rust," mellīgō "bee glue" Note: Indo-European d^huh₂-li- is usually taken to be a nominal derivative of the verbal base d^hu̯eh₂- or d^heu̯h₂- "produce smoke by burning"—see fume entry 1. First Known Use 1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1a fuliginous adjective as in ambiguous* having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning a fuliginous prose style that's not exactly ideal for writing for the mass media Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance ambiguous cryptic dark obscure mystic enigmatical murky enigmatic mysterious vague esoteric opaque nebulous obscurant inscrutable equivocal deep elliptical occult unclear questionable arcane indistinct elliptic uncertain eerie shadowy recondite Delphic faint uncanny misty hazy fuzzy befogged confusing weird abstruse shrouded beclouded cloaked obfuscatory indirect indistinguishable foggy incomprehensible disguised muddy clouded inexplicit dim inexplicable double-edged inappreciable invisible eery indefinite impalpable complicated shaded bedimmed concealed indecipherable undefined sphinxlike inexact masked impenetrable cloudy complex obscurantic difficult bewildering obtuse unanswerable unknowable puzzling undetermined unfathomable confounding intangible noncommittal shadowlike baffling perplexing circuitous mystifying roundabout obnubilated Antonyms & Near Antonyms obvious plain unambiguous clear unequivocal distinct intelligible legible evident comprehensible certain accessible bright pellucid understandable strong knowable nonambiguous fathomable sure firm direct defined explicit visible definite unmistakable exact straightforward palpable appreciable tangible self-evident blatant determined self-explanatory patent See More
随便看	illguide illiberal illiberalise illiberalised illiberalises illiberalising illiberalism illiberalisms illiberalities illiberality illiberalize illiberalized illiberalizes illiberalizing illiberally illiberalness illiberalnesses illicia illicit illicit process illicitly illicitness illicitnesses illiciums illighten

fuliginous

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

adjective