abstruse
pronunciation
How to pronounce abstruse in British English:
UK [əbˈstruːs]
How to pronounce abstruse in American English:
US [əbˈstruːs]
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- Adjective:
- difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge
Word Origin
- abstruse
- abstruse: [16] It is not clear whether English borrowed abstruse from French abstrus(e) or directly from Latin abstrūsus, but the ultimate source is the Latin form. It is the past participle of the verb abstrūdere, literally ‘thrust’ (trūdere) ‘away’ (ab). (Trūdere contributed other derivatives to English, including extrude and intrude, and it is related to threat.) The original, literal meaning of abstruse was ‘concealed’, but the metaphorical ‘obscure’ is just as old in English.
- abstruse (adj.)
- 1590s, from Middle French abstrus (16c.) or directly from Latin abstrusus "hidden, concealed, secret," past participle of abstrudere "conceal," literally "to thrust away," from ab- "away" (see ab-) + trudere "to thrust, push" (see extrusion). Related: Abstrusely; abstruseness.
Synonym
unexplainable dim unknowable puzzling understanding esoteric difficult beyond abstract enigmatic mystical mystic indecipherable inscrutable impenetrable unfathomable insoluble incomprehensible understand vague enigmatical to deep recondite inexplicable undecipherable dark nebulous profound unaccountable insolvable cabalistic obscure uncomprehensible
Example
- 1. For the average editor , that analogy might seem abstruse .
- 2. Too often anything related to computers is dismissed as abstruse , brainy and intangible , simply because most people don 't understand exactly how computers work ( and don 't want to ) .
- 3. Even the most abstruse fields , mr lazaridis observes , yield practical benefits in the long run .
- 4. The author hardly pulled these abstruse accounting complexities from thin air .
- 5. Ok , I 'll admit , this is an extremely complex and abstruse question .