English
obscurity
Obscurity comes from Latin obscūritās ‘darkness’, from obscurus ‘dark’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃i-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ḱeh₃i-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*skoirosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*scūrus‘dark’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEobscurus‘dark’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEobscūritās‘darkness’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600obscurité
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500obscurite
- Englishearliest quotation 1907obscurity
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ḱeh₃i-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*skoirosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*scūrus‘dark’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEobscurus‘dark’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEobscūritās‘darkness’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600obscurité
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500obscurite
- Englishearliest quotation 1907obscurity
Earliest quotation: 1907, Harold Bindloss, Toronto: “The night was considerably clearer than anybody on board…”
Equivalent to obscure + -ity
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃- ‘darkness, shadow’
…
Latin *scūrus
Latin obscūrus ‘dark, dusky, indistinct’
Old French obscur
Middle English obscure
English obscure
Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃i-
Today it means
noun Darkness; the absence of light.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃i- / obscurity