English → Latin
“obtuse” in Latin
obtundōto strike, beat or batter; to blunt; to deafenhebesblunt, dull, not sharp or pointed; dim, faint, dull; tasteless, without smell, without sensation; dull, obtuse, sluggishtardusslow, sluggish; tardy; late, lingeringretundōto beat back, drive back; to restrain, check; to hammer back (something sharp), blunt or dull
The English word obtuse itself goes back to Latin tundō, through obtūsus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
obtuse
obtusus, hebes (PROP. and figuratively); tardus (figuratively): an obtuse mind, ingenium hebes, or retusum (Cic.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for obtuse?
- The usual Latin words for “obtuse” are obtundō, hebes, tardus; also retundō. 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.