The Obscure Word: Obnubilate

In this series on obscure words, I look at words that are obscure, but could be used in everyday speech. So, you won't see terms like "heteroscedastic" or odd names of chemicals or diseases. These are obscure words that I read in novels or general nonfiction.

In previous articles, we looked at resile, plangent, mendacity and, most recently, karst. Today, obnubilate.

Meaning of obnubilate

According to dictionary.com, obnubilate is a verb meaning "to cloud over; becloud; obscure".
Origin of obnubilate

Per the Online Etymology Dictionary obnubilate entered English in the 1580s, from the Latin word obnubilare meaning "to cover with clouds or fog"

How could obnubilate be used?

Obnubilate is just a great sounding word, I think. Much better than its synonyms. Plus, "obscure" is an adjective AND a verb, which can be confusing. And "becloud" doesn't seem like a real word, even though it is. We could have sentences such as "In the 20th century, many people in the USA were openly racist; there are still many racists, and some are openly so, but today many racists obnubilate their message".

Sometimes, Latinate words are wonderful to use; one of the joys of English is that we can often choose between words with different origins. "Cloud" for instance, comes from Old English. It's a short word. Obnubilate sounds grander.

Samuel Coleridge used obnubilate when he wrote "There is here fine criticism, classic wit, poetic dreaming, and some grains of sound doctrine, but so obnubilated with the fumes of German metaphysics, that we become giddy" (see Wiktionary). For a nice essay using obnubilate in lots of ways see Sesquitioca

sources: Linked in article.