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obscūrus , a, um, adj. Sanscr. sku, to cover, akin to Gr. σκευή, σκῦτος, κύτος; cf.: scutum, cutis,
I.dark, darksome, dusky, shady, obscure (class.).
I. Lit.: unde (Acherunte) animae excitantur obscurā umbrā, in dark, shadowy forms, Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 16, 37; so, “umbra,Verg. A. 6, 453: “donec in obscurum coni conduxit acumen,the obscure point of the cone, Lucr. 4, 431: “lucus,Verg. A. 9, 87: “antrum,Ov. M. 4, 100: “convalles,Verg. A. 6, 139: “tabernae,Hor. A. P. 229; cf. Liv. 10, 1, 5: aliae res obnoxiosae nocte in obscurā latent, Enn. ap. Gell. 7, 16 (17), 10 (Trag. v. 341 Vahl.): “nox,Verg. A. 2, 420; cf.: “per occasum solis, jam obscurā luce,Liv. 24, 21: “caelum,Hor. C. 1, 7, 15: “nimbus,Verg. A. 12, 416: “nubes,id. G. 4, 60: “ferrugo,” i. e. black, id. ib. 1, 467: “dentes,Juv. 6, 145.—Poet.: funda, dark, i. e. invisible, Val. Fl. 6, 193; cf. “mamma,” i. e. hidden, covered, id. 3, 52, 6: “aquae,” i. e. turbid, Ov. F. 4, 758.—Subst.: obscūrum , i, n., dim light, twilight: “in obscuro, advesperascente die,Vulg. Prov. 7, 9; but commonly the dark, darkness, obscurity: “sub obscurum noctis,Verg. G. 1, 478: “lumen,” i. e. darkness visible, Sall. J. 21, 2.—obscū-rum , adverb.: “obscurum nimbosus dissidet aër,Luc. 5, 631.—
B. Transf., to the person who is in the dark, darkling, unseen: “ibant obscuri solā sub nocte per umbram,Verg. A. 6, 268: “obscurus in ulvā Delitui,id. ib. 2, 135.—
II. Trop.
A. In gen., dark, obscure, indistinct, unintelligible: “Heraclitus ... Clarus ob obscuram linguam,Lucr. 1, 639: valde Heraclitus obscurus (cf. the Gr. appellation of Heraclitus, σκοτεινός), Cic. Div. 2, 64, 133: “quid? poëta nemo, nemo physicus obscurus?id. ib.: “obscurā de re tam lucida pango carmina,Lucr. 1, 933; 4, 8: “brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio,Hor. A. P. 25: “reperta Graiorum,Lucr. 1, 136: “obscurum et ignotum jus,Cic. de Or. 1, 39, 177: “cur hoc tam est obscurum atque caecum?id. Agr. 2, 14, 35: “nolo plebem Romanam obscurā spe et caecā expectatione haerere,uncertain, id. ib. 2, 25, 66.—Comp., Quint. 11, 3, 60.—Sup.: “videre res obscurissimas,Cic. de Or. 2, 36, 153.—Subst.: “causae in obscuro positae,Cels. 1 praef.
2. In partic., rhet. t. t.: obscurum genus causae, obscure, i. e. intricate, involved, Gr. δυσπαρακολούθητον, Cic. Inv. 1, 15, 20: “(causae privatae) sunt multo saepe obscuriores,id. de Or. 2, 24, 100.—
B. Not known, unknown, not recognized: “forma,Ov. M. 3, 475: “P Ilas,” i. e. disguised, under another form, id. ib. 6, 36.—Esp. of rank and station, obscure, ignoble, mean, low: “non est obscura tua in me benevolentia,Cic. Fam. 13, 70: Caesaris in barbaris erat nomen obscurius, * Caes. B. C. 1, 61: “Pompeius humili atque obscuro loco natus,of an obscure, ignoble family, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 70, § 181: “obscuris orti majoribus,from obscure ancestors, id. Off. 1, 32, 116: “clarus an obscurus,Quint. 5, 10, 26; cf.: “si nobilis obscurum se vocet,id. 11, 1, 21; 2, 3, 9: “non obscurus professor et auctor,id. 2, 15, 36: “natus haud obscuro loco,Sall. C. 23, 1.— Neutr. absol.: “in obscuro vitam habere,Sall. C. 51, 12: “vitam per obscurum transmittere,in obscurity, Sen. Ep. 19, 3: “saepe mandatum initio litis in obscuro est,kept back, Gai. Inst. 4, 84.—
C. Of character, close, secret, reserved: “obscurus et astutus homo,Cic. Off. 3, 13, 5 (for which: “sin me astutum et occultum lubet fingere,id. Fam. 3, 10, 8): “plerumque modestus Occupat obscuri speciem,Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 94: “Tiberium obscurum adversus alios, sibi uni incautum intectumque efficeret,Tac. A. 4, 1: “obscurum odium,Cic. Fam. 3, 10, 6.—Comp.: “natura obscurior,Tac. Agr. 42.—Adv.: ob-scūrē , darkly, obscurely (class.).
A. Lit.: aut nihil superum aut obscure admodum cernimus, very darkly, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 474, 28.—
B. Trop.
1. Of speech, darkly, obscurely, indistinctly: “dicta,Quint. 3, 4, 3; 4, 1, 79.—Comp.: “quae causa dicta obscurius est,Quint. 8, 2, 24.—Sup.: “obscurissime particulā uti, Cell. 17, 13, 5: non obscurissime dicere (opp. planissime),id. 11, 16, 9.—
2. Of birth, obscurely, ignobly, meanly (perh. only post-class.): “obscure natus,Macr. S. 7, 3: “obscurissime natus,Amm. 29, 1, 5.—
3. Covertly, closely, secretly: “malum obscure serpens,Cic. Cat. 4, 3, 6: “tacite obscureque perire,id. Quint. 15, 50: “non obscure ferre aliquid,id. Clu. 19, 54; cf. id. Par. 6, 1, 45; Hirt. B. G. 8, 54.—Comp.: “ceteri sunt obscurius iniqui,more secretly, Cic. Fam. 1, 5, b, 2.—Sup.: “avertere aliquid de publico quam obscurissime,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 24, § 53.
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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (59):
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    • Cicero, Letters to his Friends, 3.10.8
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    • Lucan, Civil War, 5.631
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 24, 21
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    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 2, 15.36
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 2, 3.9
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 3, 4.3
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 5, 10.26
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    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 8, 2.24
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 11, 3.60
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 11, 1.21
    • Gellius, Noctes Atticae, 7.16
    • Seneca, Epistulae, 19.3
    • Sallust, Catilinae Coniuratio, 23
    • Sallust, Catilinae Coniuratio, 51
    • Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum, 21
    • Ovid, Fasti, 4
    • Cicero, De Inventione, 1.15
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