obtuse (adj.)

early 15c., "dull, blunted, not sharp," from Latin obtusus "blunted, dull," also used figuratively, past participle of obtundere "to beat against, make dull," from ob "in front of; against" (see ob-) + tundere "to beat," from PIE *(s)tud-e- "to beat, strike, push, thrust," from root *(s)teu- "to push, stick, knock, beat" (source also of Latin tudes "hammer," Sanskrit tudati "he thrusts"). Sense of "stupid, not acutely sensitive or perceptive" is by c. 1500. In geometry, in reference to a plane angle greater than a right angle," 1560s. Related: Obtusely; obtuseness.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to obtuse

contusion (n.)

c. 1400, "act of beating or bruising; a bruise, an injury to the body without apparent wound or fracture," from Latin contusionem (nominative contusio) "a crushing, breaking, battering," in medical language, "a bruise," noun of action from past-participle stem of contundere "to beat, bruise, grind, crush, break to pieces," from assimilated form of com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + tundere "to beat" (see obtuse).

obtund (v.)

c. 1400, obtunden, (transitive) "to render dead, make dull, blunt, deaden," used occasionally in English, especially in medical jargon; from Latin obtundere "to blunt, make dull, weaken, exhaust," literally "to beat against" (see obtuse). Related: Obtundation; obtunded.

pierce

toil

ob-

See all related words (5) >

Trends of obtuse

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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pierce

c. 1300 (c. 1200 as a surname), percen, "make a hole in; force one's way through; thrust through with or as with a sharp or pointed instrument," from Anglo-French perser, Old French percier "pierce, transfix, drive through" (12c., Modern French percer), probably from Vulgar Latin

toil

"hard work," c. 1300, originally "turmoil, contention, dispute," from Anglo-French toil (13c.), from toiler "agitate, stir up, entangle, writhe about," from Old French toeillier "drag about, make dirty" (12c.), usually said to be from Latin tudiculare "crush with a small hammer,"

acute

late 14c., originally of fevers and diseases, "coming quickly to a crisis" (opposed to chronic), from Latin acutus "sharp, pointed," figuratively "shrill, penetrating; intelligent, cunning," past participle of acuere "to sharpen" (literal and figurative), from PIE root *ak- "be s

blunt

c. 1200, blunt, blont, "dull, obtuse" (of persons), of uncertain origin....

stultify

The first element is cognate with Latin stolidus "slow, dull, obtuse" (see stolid)....

diamond

From late 15c. as "geometric figure of four equal straight lines forming two acute and two obtuse angles."...

semicolon

[T]he semicolon was a Latin delicacy which the obtuse English typographer resisted....

dense

early 15c., "closely compacted, thick," from Latin densus "thick, crowded; cloudy," which is of uncertain etymology, perhaps related to Greek dasys "hairy, shaggy; thick with leaves," as a grammatical term, "aspirated," but even this is in doubt. Figurative sense of "difficult to

slow

Middle English slou, from Old English slaw "inactive by nature, sluggish, torpid, lazy, tardy in taking action," also "not clever, dull, not quick in comprehension," from Proto-Germanic *slæwaz (source also of Old Saxon sleu "blunt, dull," Middle Dutch slee, Dutch sleeuw "sour, t

dim

Old English dimm "dark, gloomy, obscure; not clearly seen, indistinct," from Proto-Germanic *dimbaz (source also of Old Norse dimmr, Old Frisian dim, Old High German timber "dark, black, somber"). Not known outside Germanic. Of eyes, "not seeing clearly," early 13c. Of sound from

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updated on July 30, 2019

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Dictionary entries near obtuse

obtainable

obtrude

obtrusion

obtrusive

obtund

obtuse

obverse

obviate

obviation

obvious

oc-