King James Bible Dictionary

OBSCU'RE, adjective [Latin obscurus.]

1. Dark; destitute of light.

Whoso curseth his father or mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. Proverbs 20:20.

2. Living in darkness; as the obscure bird.

3. Not easily understood; not obviously intelligible; abstruse; as an obscure passage in a writing.

4. Not much known or observed; retired; remote from observation; as an obscure retreat.

5. Not noted; unknown; unnoticed; humble; mean; as an obscure person; a person of obscure birth.

6. Not easily legible; as an obscure inscription.

7. Not clear, full or distinct; imperfect; as an obscure view of remote objects.

OBSCU'RE, verb transitive [Latin obscuro.]

1. To darken; to make dark. The shadow of the earth obscures the moon, and the body of the moon obscures the sun, in an eclipse.

2. To cloud; to make partially dark. Thick clouds obscure the day.

3. To hide from the view; as, clouds obscure the sun.

4. To make less visible.

Why, 'tis an office of discovery, love, and I should be obscured.

5. To make less legible; as, time has obscured the writing.

6. To make less intelligible.

There is scarce any duty which has been so obscured by the writings of the learned as this.

7. To make less glorious, beautiful or illustrious.

- And see'st not sin obscures thy godlike frame?

8. To conceal; to make unknown.

9. To tarnish; as, to obscure brightness.

OBSCU'RELY, adverb

1. Darkly; not clearly; imperfectly; as an object obscurely seen; obscurely visible.

2. Out of sight; in a state not to be noticed; privately; in retirement; not conspicuously.

There live retired, content thyself to be obscurely good.

3. Not clearly; not plainly to the mind; darkly; as future events obscurely revealed.

4. Not plainly; indirectly; by hints or allusion.

OBSCU'RENESS,

OBSCU'RITY, noun [Latin obscuritas.]

1. Darkness; want of light.

We wait for light, but behold obscurity. Isaiah 59:1.

2. A state of retirement from the world; a state of being unnoticed; privacy.

You are not for obscurity designed.

3. Darkness of meaning; unintelligibleness; as the obscurity of writings or of a particular passage.

4. Illegibleness; as the obscurity of letters or of an inscription.

5. A state of being unknown to fame; humble condition; as the obscurity of birth or parentage.