New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
Abstruse — Ab*struse , a. [L. abstrusus, p. p. of abstrudere to thrust away, conceal; ab, abs + trudere to thrust; cf. F. abstrus. See {Threat}.] 1. Concealed or hidden out of the way. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] The eternal eye whose sight discerns Abstrusest… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
abstruse — I adjective abstract, ambiguous, attenuated, cloudy, complex, difficult to understand, elusive, enigmatic, esoteric, hidden, incomprehensible, indefinable, indefinite, inexplicable, mysterious, nebulous, obscure, profound, puzzling, rarefied,… … Law dictionary
abstruse — (adj.) 1590s, from M.Fr. abstrus (16c.) or directly from L. abstrusus, pp. of abstrudere conceal, lit. to thrust away, from ab away (see AB (Cf. ab )) + trudere to thrust, push (see EXTRUSION (Cf. extrusion)). Related … Etymology dictionary
abstruse — *recondite, occult, esoteric Analogous words: *complex, complicated, intricate, knotty: *abstract, ideal: enigmatic, cryptic, dark, *obscure Antonyms: obvious, plain Contrasted words: *evident, manifest, clear, palpable: *easy, s … New Dictionary of Synonyms
abstruse — [adj] difficult to understand abstract, clear as dishwater*, complex, complicated, deep, enigmatic, esoteric, Greek to me*, heavy*, hidden, incomprehensible, intricate, involved, muddy, obscure, perplexing, profound, puzzling, recondite, subtle,… … New thesaurus
abstruse — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ difficult to understand; obscure. DERIVATIVES abstrusely adverb abstruseness noun. ORIGIN Latin abstrusus concealed … English terms dictionary
abstruse — [ab stro͞os′, əbstro͞os′] adj. [L abstrusus, pp. of abstrudere, to thrust away < ab(s) , away + trudere, to THRUST] hard to understand because of being extremely complex, intellectually demanding, highly abstract, etc.; deep; recondite… … English World dictionary
abstruse — adjective /æbˈstruːs,əbˈstruːs/ remote from apprehension; difficult to comprehend or understand; recondite; as in abstruse learning. It is certain that the easy and obvious philosophy will always, with the generality of mankind, have the… … Wiktionary
abstruse — ● abstrus, abstruse adjectif (latin abstrusus, caché) Littéraire. Difficile à comprendre, obscur, abscons : Un poème abstrus. ● abstrus, abstruse (synonymes) adjectif (latin abstrusus, caché) Littéraire. Difficile à comprendre, obscur, abscons… … Encyclopédie Universelle
abstruse — [16] It is not clear whether English borrowed abstruse from French abstrus(e) or directly from Latin abstrūsus, but the ultimate source is the Latin form. It is the past participle of the verb abstrūdere, literally ‘thrust’ (trūdere) ‘away’ (ab) … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
abstruse — [[t]æbstru͟ːs[/t]] ADJ GRADED (disapproval) You can describe something as abstruse if you find it difficult to understand, especially when you think it could be explained more simply. [FORMAL] Meanwhile meetings keep reverting to fruitless… … English dictionary
