English → Latin
“obscurity” in Latin
obscūritāsdarkness; obscurity, indistinctnesstenebraedarkness, especially the darkness of night; shadow of death; prison, dungeoncālīgōfog, mist, vapor; darkness, gloom; fog, darkness (inability to perceive mentally)noxnight (period of time); darkness; a dream or sleepincertusuncertain, doubtful, not sure, unsure; not knowing, doubting (said of persons); not known, obscure (said of things)ignōbilitāsobscurity; low birthhumilitāsinsignificance, lowliness, unimportance; degradation, debasement, humiliation; submissiveness, obedienceoccultōto conceal, hideinvolvōto roll to or upon something; to roll about, wrap up, envelop, involve; cover, overwhelm; curl, coil up; veil; to involvexplōrōto investigate, search out, seek, discover, examine, explore; to spy out, reconnoitre; to test, try, put to the proof
The English word obscurity itself goes back to Latin obscūrus, through obscūritās.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
obscurity
Darkness, obscuritas; tenebrae (opposed to lux): caligo [Vid: the distinction of the adjective, in OBSCURE]. (The words are found in this connection and order.) obscuritas et tenebrae; tenebrae et caligo; caligo et tenebrae; nox (night).
Want of clearness, plainness, obscuritas: incertum (uncertainty).
Want of fame or celebrity, tenebrae; ignobilitas, humilitas (the former in respect of rank, the latter in respect of descent): to raise from obscurity, aliquem e tenebris et silentio proferre; aliquem in lucem famamque provehere; e tenebris in lucem evocare (familiam): to live in obscurity, per obscurum vitam transmittere (Sen., Ep., 19, 2); in ignoratione hominum versari; in tenebris jacere; in umbra degere.
An obscure thing, res obscura, occulta, involuta, occulta et quasi involuta; res nondum ad liquidum perducta or explorata: to clear up obscurities, res obscuras explanare; res involutas explicare; occulta et quasi involuta aperire.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for obscurity?
- The usual Latin words for “obscurity” are obscūritās, tenebrae, cālīgō; also nox, incertus, ignōbilitās. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.