obfuscate
UK: /ˈɒbfʌskeɪt/ | US: /ˈɑːbfʌskeɪt/
vt. to deliberately make something unclear or difficult to understand
vt. to confuse or bewilder someone
vt. (computing) to make code or data intentionally hard to interpret
The word "obfuscate" traces back to Latin obfuscare, combining ob- (against) and fuscus (dark). The literal sense of "darkening" evolved metaphorically to mean "making something unclear." The morpheme fusc appears in related words like "fuscous" (dark-colored) and "fuscina" (a type of dark fishing spear). The -ate suffix marks it as a verb, a common pattern in Latin-derived English words (e.g., "illuminate," "deviate"). The progression from physical darkness to abstract confusion reflects how visual metaphors often shape language.
The politician’s vague answers obfuscated the real issues.
Legal jargon can obfuscate the meaning of contracts.
Hackers obfuscate malware code to evade detection.
Her emotional outburst obfuscated the logical argument.
The fog obfuscated the view of the mountains.