Abstruse — Ab*struse , a. [L. abstrusus, p. p. of abstrudere to thrust away, conceal; ab, abs + trudere to thrust; cf. F. abstrus. See {Threat}.] 1. Concealed or hidden out of the way. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] The eternal eye whose sight discerns Abstrusest… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
abstruse — I adjective abstract, ambiguous, attenuated, cloudy, complex, difficult to understand, elusive, enigmatic, esoteric, hidden, incomprehensible, indefinable, indefinite, inexplicable, mysterious, nebulous, obscure, profound, puzzling, rarefied,… … Law dictionary
abstruse — (adj.) 1590s, from M.Fr. abstrus (16c.) or directly from L. abstrusus, pp. of abstrudere conceal, lit. to thrust away, from ab away (see AB (Cf. ab )) + trudere to thrust, push (see EXTRUSION (Cf. extrusion)). Related … Etymology dictionary
abstruse — *recondite, occult, esoteric Analogous words: *complex, complicated, intricate, knotty: *abstract, ideal: enigmatic, cryptic, dark, *obscure Antonyms: obvious, plain Contrasted words: *evident, manifest, clear, palpable: *easy, s … New Dictionary of Synonyms
abstruse — [adj] difficult to understand abstract, clear as dishwater*, complex, complicated, deep, enigmatic, esoteric, Greek to me*, heavy*, hidden, incomprehensible, intricate, involved, muddy, obscure, perplexing, profound, puzzling, recondite, subtle,… … New thesaurus
abstruse — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ difficult to understand; obscure. DERIVATIVES abstrusely adverb abstruseness noun. ORIGIN Latin abstrusus concealed … English terms dictionary
abstruse — [ab stro͞os′, əbstro͞os′] adj. [L abstrusus, pp. of abstrudere, to thrust away < ab(s) , away + trudere, to THRUST] hard to understand because of being extremely complex, intellectually demanding, highly abstract, etc.; deep; recondite… … English World dictionary
abstruse — adjective /æbˈstruːs,əbˈstruːs/ remote from apprehension; difficult to comprehend or understand; recondite; as in abstruse learning. It is certain that the easy and obvious philosophy will always, with the generality of mankind, have the… … Wiktionary
abstruse — ● abstrus, abstruse adjectif (latin abstrusus, caché) Littéraire. Difficile à comprendre, obscur, abscons : Un poème abstrus. ● abstrus, abstruse (synonymes) adjectif (latin abstrusus, caché) Littéraire. Difficile à comprendre, obscur, abscons… … Encyclopédie Universelle
abstruse — [[t]æbstru͟ːs[/t]] ADJ GRADED (disapproval) You can describe something as abstruse if you find it difficult to understand, especially when you think it could be explained more simply. [FORMAL] Meanwhile meetings keep reverting to fruitless… … English dictionary