abstruse
[ ab-stroos ]
/ æbˈstrus /
adjective
hard to understand; recondite; esoteric: abstruse theories.
Obsolete. secret; hidden.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
abstractive, abstractively, abstractly, abstrict, abstriction, abstruse, abstrusely, abstrusity, absurd, absurd, theater of the, absurdism
Origin of abstruse
1590–1600; < Latin abstrūsus thrust away, concealed (past participle of abstrūdere), equivalent to abs- abs- + trūd- thrust + -tus past participle suffix
SYNONYMS FOR abstruse
ANTONYMS FOR abstruse
Related formsab·struse·ly, adverbab·struse·ness, noun
Can be confusedabstruse obtuse
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for abstruse
British Dictionary definitions for abstruse
abstruse
/ (əbˈstruːs) /
adjective
not easy to understand; recondite; esoteric
Derived Formsabstrusely, adverbabstruseness, noun
Word Origin for abstruse
C16: from Latin abstrūsus thrust away, concealed, from abs- ab- 1 + trūdere to thrust
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for abstruse
abstruse
1590s, from Middle French abstrus (16c.) or directly from Latin abstrusus "hidden, concealed, secret," past participle of abstrudere "conceal," literally "to thrust away," from ab- "away" (see ab-) + trudere "to thrust, push" (see extrusion). Related: Abstrusely; abstruseness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper