Imperspicuity

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being difficult to understand or see through due to obscurity or vagueness
2. A state where meanings or details are not clear and are hard to discern
3. The condition of lacking obviousness or clearness, making comprehension challenging

Etymology: "Imperspicuity" is simply the negative of "perspicuity," with the prefix "im-" attached. That prefix, from Latin "in-" meaning "not," is the same one found in "impossible" and "immobile," and it changes only its spelling before a "p" sound. "Perspicuity" itself comes from the Latin "perspicuus," meaning "transparent" or "clear to see," built from "per" ("through") and "specere" ("to look"). So the word's core image is of seeing right through something. The result is a word whose literal sense is "not see-through," which is exactly how it is used: to describe prose, argument, or instructions that are hard to follow. Writers and critics have long relied on it when they want a more formal, slightly elevated way to say that something is murky, rather than simply unclear.

Antonyms: clarity, lucidity