Obscurations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act or process of making something less visible or unclear
2. a condition in which an object or light source becomes hidden
3. the phenomenon of light being blocked or altered in transmission

Etymology: "Obscurations" is the plural of "obscuration", a noun for the act of making something dark or hidden, or the state of being obscured. It came into English from Latin "obscuratio", a formation from "obscurare", meaning to darken or make dim, and the plural form simply counts separate instances of this darkening, such as the blockages of light that an eclipse, cloud or dust cloud produces. The English word was built from "obscure" plus the suffix "-ation", which turns a verb into a noun of action, so "obscure" (to cover over) becomes "obscuration" (the covering over itself). The Latin root "obscurus" meant dark, dim or hidden, which is why the same idea of darkness runs through "obscure", "obscurity" and "obscurantism" as well.