Word of the Day

: March 16, 2016

obnubilate

verb ahb-NOO-buh-layt

What It Means

: becloud, obscure

obnubilate in Context

The writer's essay includes some valid points, but they are obnubilated by his convoluted prose style.

"Early street lighting had the disconcerting effect of obnubilating as well as illuminating urban space." — Matthew Beaumont, Nightwalking: A Nocturnal History of London, 2015

Did You Know?

The meaning of obnubilate becomes clearer when you know that its ancestors are the Latin terms ob- (meaning "in the way") and nubes ("cloud"). It's a high-flown sounding word, which may be why it often turns up in texts by and about politicians. This has been true for a long time. In fact, when the U.S. Constitution was up for ratification, 18th-century Pennsylvania statesman James Wilson used obnubilate to calm fears that the president would have too much power: "Our first executive magistrate is not obnubilated behind the mysterious obscurity of counsellors…. He is the dignified, but accountable magistrate of a free and great people."