Where does “obscurantism” come from?
Obscurantism derives from Latin obscurans, combining Latin ob- with Italian oscuro, which traces to Ancient Greek ὀβολός and ultimately Ancient Greek βέλος meaning projectile, with the suffix Ancient Greek -ισμός and English -ism denoting a system or practice.
obscurantism (English): A state of opposition to human progress or...
Definitions
- A state of opposition to human progress or...
Ancestry of “obscurantism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | obscūrāns | darkening, obscuring |
| 2 | Latin | obscűro | to darken, obscure |
| 3 | Latin | obscūrus | dark, dusky, shadowy |
| 4 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 5 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |