obfuscate
UK /ˈɒbfəskeɪt/ · US /ˈɑbfəskeɪt/ verb, adjective
Forms obfuscates obfuscating obfuscated obfuscatest obfuscatedst obfuscateth
- verb To make dark; to overshadow.
- verb To deliberately make more confusing in order to conceal the truth. “obfuscate facts”
- verb (computing) To alter code while preserving its behavior but concealing its structure and intent. “We need to obfuscate these classes before we ship the final release.”
- adjective (obsolete) Obfuscated; darkened; obscured.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
The adjective is first attested in 1487, in Middle English, the verb in 1536; either borrowed from Middle French obfusquer, offusquer, from Old French offusquer, or directly from Late Latin obfuscātus, offuscātus, the perfect passive participle of obfuscō, offuscō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin ob- + fuscō (“to darken”). Doublet of dusken (“to darken, make obscure”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Obfuscated; darkened; obscured. [Obs.] [Written also offuscate.] Sir. T. Elyot.
- verb To darken; to obscure; to becloud; hence, to confuse; to bewilder.
Etymology [L. obfuscatus, p.p. of obfuscare to darken; ob (see Ob-) + fuscare, fuscatum, to darken, from fuscus dark.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “obfuscate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details