Obscuration

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of making something difficult to see, understand, or perceive clearly ; the condition in which something is darkened, covered, or blocked from view
2. A process by which clarity or visibility is reduced or concealed ; a situation where light or details are diminished, causing partial darkness or shadow
3. The action that causes something to become vague or hidden from understanding ; the quality of being concealed, shadowed, or obscured from clear observation

Etymology: "Obscuration" comes from Latin "obscūrātiō," a noun built from the verb "obscūrāre," "to darken," which itself derives from "obscurus," meaning dark, dim or indistinct. The Latin root passed into English through the same family of words that gave us "obscure," so the two share a common ancestor, and "obscuration" is best understood as the noun of the action that "obscure" describes. The English word is formed from "obscure" plus the suffix "-ation," which turns a verb into a noun for a process or its result. Thus "obscuration" names the act or condition of making something dim, hidden or unclear, whether that means a cloud blotting out the sun, a fog thickening over a harbour, or a cluttered argument hiding its point.

Synonyms: darkening, concealment, clouding, covering

Antonyms: clarity, illumination, revelation