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• obfuscate •

Pronunciation: ahb-fê-skayt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, transitive

Meaning: 1. To dim or darken, to obscure by light deprivation or other means. 2. To make confusing, to obscure the meaning of, to make less comprehensible.

Notes: The spelling of this word is rather easy since there is a sound corresponding to each letter except the silent E at the end. However, remember that the silent E makes the preceding A long, so even it has a function. The noun is obfuscation and anyone known for his or her obfuscation is an obfuscator. The adjective meaning "tending to obfuscate" is obfuscatory [ahb-fês-kê-tor-ri]. There is, however, another rather rare and dated adjective with the same meaning, obfuscous. Use it if you like to live on the edge.

In Play: The basic meaning of this Good Word is "to darken", as in, "Closing the blinds to cover his activity had obfuscated the pantry to the point that Les Hyde could not find the chocolates." The metaphorical extension of this word applies to either intentionally or unintentionally confusing matters: "Ivan Oder's explanation of the reasons for the new heat-activated bidets in the restrooms only led to further obfuscation."

Word History: Today's Good Word is the English adaptation of Latin obfuscatus, the past participle of the verb obfuscare "to darken". This verb is built of ob- "over, toward, against" + fuscare "to darken", a verb sharing a root with fuscus "dark". The prefix ob- was subject to the process of "assimilation" whereby a linguistic sound takes on the properties of a contiguous sound. So obfuscare later became offuscare and this spelling, too, slipped into English as offuscate but did not gain enough traction to remain. (Let there be no obfuscation of our gratitude to Michael Oberndorf for suggesting today's absolutely fascinating Good Word.)

Isn't obfuscation generally a deliberate or intended obscuring? Otherwise we should surely use obscure. Am I right?

'Your use of long Latin based words tends to obscure your meaning' suggests gentle advice to find clearer words. But when it obfuscates your meaning, it suggests you are deliberately disguising the meaning.

That's how I use the words anyway.

Ever since I first heard it, I've appreciated the slogan "Eschew obfuscation" of the sorely missed WCRB Saturday Night, when that Boston classical music radio station was still commercial. Other things learned about there were the charming songs of Flanders & Swann and the British comedy show "Around the Horn". Sadly, I've forgotten the name of the host, bu I still have the t-shirt.

Barbara,
Found this...

"Greetings one & all. My 1st time post. In the 70's there was a Boston show, WCRB Saturday Night. Richard L Kaye was the host. He would play comedy; PDQ Bach, Albert Brooks, Joyce Grenfell, The Goons, to name a few. He played a bit with a Russian man reading Little Red Riding Hood. It was hilarious. I recorded it on a 8 track, but no longer available, Is there anyone out there, that can lead me in some direction.
Glad to have your ears.
Bill Doherty"

If it was indeed in the 70s I was not then in Boston, so can't share reminiscences, but it jogged other memories of Boston radio.
thanks for that.
Debby

Here is a prodigy of the use of the adjective "obfuscatory." It appears in a letter to the editor in today's Wall Street Journal:

"In contrast, Eisenhower could be deliberately obfuscatory when presented with diplomatic or political challenges, preferring to be perceived as confused when he thought clarity was unwise."