OBSCURE

4. Not much known or observed; retired; remote from observation; as, an obscure retreat. The obscure corners of the earth.' Sir J. Davies.-5. Not noted; unknown; unnoticed; humble; mean; as, he is quite an obscure individual.

The soldiers murmur

To see their warlike eagles mew their honours In obscure towns. Beau. & Fl 6. Not clear, full, or distinct; imperfect; as, an obscure view of remote objects.-SYN. Dark, dim, darksome, abstruse, intricate, difficult, mysterious, retired, unnoticed, unknown, humble, mean, indistinct, imperfect, defective.

Obscure (ob-skür), v.t. 1. To darken; to make dark; to deprive of light; to cloud; to make dim; to eclipse; as, clouds obscure the sky. Cynthia for shame obscures her silver shine.' Shak.-2. To make less intelligible, legible, or visible.

There is scarce any duty which has been so obscured by the writings of the learned as this. Wake.

3. To make less glorious, beautiful, or illustrious; to degrade; to make mean; to tarnish. Obscured, deprived of honour and inheritance.' Shak. 'And see'st not sin obscures thy godlike frame?' Dryden.

You have suborn'd this man

Of purpose to obscure my noble birth. Shak. 4. To keep in the dark; to hide; to prevent from being known; to disguise.

O might I here

In solitude live savage, in some glade Obscur'd.

Milton.

Same as

The woman's seed obscurely then foretold, Now ampler known, thy Saviour and thy Lord. Milton. Obscurement (ob-skür'ment), n. The state of being obscured; the act of obscuring; darkness; obscuration. Obscureness (ob-skür'nes), n. Obscurity. Obscurer (ob-skū'rėr), n. One who or that which obscures. 'Such a waster and obscurer of such loveliness.' Lord. Obscurity (ob-skū'ri-ti), n. [L. obscuritas, from obscurus, dark. See OBSCURE.] The quality or state of being obscure: (a) darkness; want of light; dimness.

We wait for light, but behold obscurity. Is. lix. 9. (b) Darkness of meaning; unintelligibleness. Many causes of obscurity did readily occur to me.' Locke. (c) An obscure place, state, or condition; especially, a state of being unknown to fame.

You are not for obscurity design'd,

But like the sun must cheer all human kind. Dryden. -Darkness, Obscurity, Dimness. See under DARKNESS.

Obsecrate (ob'sē-krāt), v.t. [L. obsecro, to entreat-prefix ob, and sacer, sacred.] To beseech; to entreat; to supplicate; to pray earnestly. Cockeram.

Obsecration (ob-së-krā’shon), n. 1. The act of obsecrating; entreaty; supplication.

Let us fly to God at all times with humble obsecrations and hearty requests. Becon.

2. In rhet. a figure in which the orator implores the assistance of God or man. Obsecratory (ob-se-kra'to-ri), a. Supplicatory; expressing entreaty. That gracious and obsecratory charge of the blessed apostle of the Gentiles.' Bp. Hall. [Rare.] Obsequent + (ob'se-kwent), a. [L. obsequens, ppr. of obsequor, to follow.] Obedient; submissive. Pliant, and obsequent to his pleasure.' Fotherby. [Rare.] Obsequience (ob-se'kwi-ens), n. Obsequiousness. Quart. Rev.

Obsequious (ob-se'kwi-us), a. [From L. obsequiosus, obsequious, from obsequium, com

290

pliance, from obsequor, to follow-prefix ob, and sequor, to follow. In last two senses from obsequy, obsequies, which have the same origin.] 1. Promptly obedient or submissive to the will of another; compliant; yielding to the desires of others; zealous; officious; devoted. 'Let me be obsequious in thy heart.' Shak. [Now obsolete or obsolescent in this sense.]

His servants weeping, Obsequious to his orders, bear him hither. Addison. Hence 2. Servilely condescending; compliant to excess; showing a mean readiness to fall in with the will of another; cringing; fawning.

The vote of an assembly, which we cannot reconcile to public good, has been conceived in a private brain, afterwards supported by an obsequious party. Swift.

3. Funereal; pertaining to funeral rites. And the survivor bound

In filial obligation for some terin
To do obsequious sorrow.

Shak.

4. Absorbed in grief proper to a funeral.
My sighing breast shall be my funeral bell,
And so obsequious will thy father be,
Sad for the loss of thee.
Shak.

Obsequiously (ob-sẽ'kwi-us-li), adv. 1. In an obsequious manner; with ready obedience; with prompt compliance; servilely; cringingly.

They rise, and with respectful awe,

At the word given, obsequiously withdraw. Dryden. 2. In a mourning manner; with reverence for the dead.

While I awhile obsequiously lament

Shak.

Th' untimely fall of virtuous Lancaster. Obsequiousness (ob-se'kwi-us-nes), n. The quality of being obsequious: (a) ready obedience; prompt compliance with the orders of a superior. (b) Servile submission; mean or excessive compliance. [Obsolete or obsolescent in this sense.]

They apply themselves both to his interest and humour, with all the arts of flattery and obsequiousSouth.

ness.

Obsequy (ob'se-kwi), n. [From rare L. obsequiæ, obsequies, used instead of the regular exequia-prefix ob, and sequor, to follow.] A funeral rite, ceremony, or solemnity. 'Silent obsequy and funeral train.' Milton. "The chief mourner at his obsequies.' Dryden. [Rarely used in the singular.]

Buried, not as one unknown, Nor meanly, but with gorgeous obsequies, And mass, and rolling music, like a queen. Tennyson. Obsequyt (ob'sē-kwi), n. Obsequiousness. 'Tis true that sway'd by strong necessity I am enforc'd to eat my careful bread With too much obsequy. B. Fonson. Obserate † (ob'së-rāt), v.t. [L. obsero-prefix ob, and sera, a bar.] To lock up. Cockeram. Observable (ob-zěrv'a-bl), a. Capable of being observed or noticed; worthy of observation or of particular notice; remarkable.

I took a just account of every observable circumstance of the earth, stone, metal, or other matter. Woodward. Observableness (ob-zèrv'a-bl-nes), n. The quality of being observable. Observably (ob-zèrv'a-bli), adv. In an observable manner; remarkably. Observance (ob-zèrv'ans), .n. [Fr. observance, L. observantia. See OBSERVE.] 1. The act of observing or keeping; the act of adhering to in practice; performance; as, the observance of rules, rites, ceremonies, or laws.

It is a custom More honoured in the breach than the observance. Shak. Love rigid honesty, And strict observance of impartial laws. Roscommon.

2. A rite or ceremony; an act performed in token of respect, worship, and the like. Some represent to themselves the whole of religion as consisting in a few easy observances. Rogers. He compassed her with sweet observances And worship, never leaving her. Tennyson. 3. A thing to be observed.

There are other strict observances; As, not to see a woman. Shak.

4. Observation; attention. Take a taste of my finding him, and relish it with good observance. Shak.

5. Obedient regard or attention; attentiveness; respectful or servile attention (to a person); homage. 'All adoration, duty, and observance.' Shak. [Now rare.]

Having had such experience of his fidelity and observance abroad, he found himself engaged in honWotton. our to support him. Observandum (ob-zêr-van'dum), n. pl. Ob

OBSERVATORY

servanda (ob-zèr-van'da). [L.] A thing to be observed.

Observant (ob-zěrv'ant),a. 1. Characterized by observation; having good powers of observation; taking notice; attentively viewing or noticing; as, an observant traveller; a man of observant habits. Wandering from clime to clime observant stray'd, Their manners noted, and their states survey'd. Pope. 2. Attentive to duties or commands; obedient; adhering to in practice: with of; as, he is very observant of the rules of his order. 'Strict and most observant watch.' Shak. 3. Carefully attentive; showing attention to; submissive; obsequious: with of before a person. [Now rare.]

We are told how observant Alexander was of his master Aristotle. Sir K. Digby.

How could the most base men attain to honour but by such an observant slavish course! Raleigh. SYN. Mindful, regardful, obedient, submissive.

Observant (ob-zérv'ant), n. 1.† A slavish or obsequious attendant.

These kind of slaves I know, which in this plainness
Harbour more craft and more corrupter ends
Than twenty silly ducking observants,
That stretch their duties nicely.

Shak.

2. † A diligent observer. Hooker.-3. A member of a branch of the Franciscan order of friars, otherwise called Recollets, who interpret and observe the rules with extreme rigour.

Observantist (ob-zèrv'ant-ist), n. Same as Observant, 3.

Observantly (ob-zèrv'ant-li), adv. In an observant manner; attentively. Wright. Observation (ob-zêr-vă'shon), n. [L. observatio. See OBSERVE.] 1. The act, power, or habit of observing or taking notice; the act of seeing or of fixing the mind on anything; as, a spot on the sun's disc did not fall under his observation; the distinction made by the orator escaped his observation; a man of great observation. Specifically2. In science, the act of taking notice for a scientific or practical purpose of particular phenomena as they occur in the course of nature; also, the information gained by such an act; as, to tabulate observations. Observation is distinguished from experiment, in which the observer or experimenter determines for himself the conditions under which that which he wishes to observe takes place. Thus we speak of observations in astronomy, meteorology, physiology, &c.; observations on the satellites of Jupiter, on the direction and velocity of the winds, on the stages of a disease; but experiments in chemistry, natural philosophy, with mercury, electrified bodies, &c.-3. Knowledge or ideas gained by observing; experience.

In his brain

he hath strange places cramm'd With observation. Shak. In matters of human prudence we shall find the greatest advantage by making wise observations on our conduct. Watts.

4. A remark based or professing to be based on what has been observed; an opinion expressed. "That's a foolish observation.' Shak. To observation which ourselves we make We grow more partial for the observer's sake. Pope. 5. Observance; adherence to in practice; performance of what is prescribed. The observation of the Sabbath.' Macaulay. [Now rare.]-Working an observation, the process of determining the latitude or longitude by calculation, from an observation taken with an instrument of the altitude or relative position of any of the heavenly bodies. SYN. Observance, notice, attention, remark, comment, note, animadversion. Observational (ob-zèr-vā'shon-al), a. Consisting of or relating to observations. Observative (ob-zèrv'a-tiv), a. Observing: watchful; attentive. North Brit. Rev. [Rare.] Observator† (ob-zĕr-vāt'èr), n. [Fr. observateur.] 1. One that observes or takes notice. The observator of the bills of mortality." Sir M. Hale.-2. A remarker.

She may be handsome, yet be chaste, you say; Good observator, not so fast away. Dryden. Observatory (ob-zêrv'a-to-ri), n. [Fr. observatoire.] 1. A place or building set apart for, and fitted with instruments for making observations of natural phenomena; as, a magnetic or meteorological observatory; but more especially one constructed for astronomical observations, from which there is an unobstructed view of the heavens, and in which the instruments are free from agitation and other disturbances.-2. A place of observation at such an altitude as to afford

OBSTRUCTER

canals or fine vessels of the body. 'Obstruct the mouth of hell.' Milton.-2. To hinder from passing; to stop; to impede; to keep back; as, the bar at the mouth of the river obstructs the entrance of ships; clouds obstruct the light of the sun.

From hence no cloud, or, to obstruct his sight, Star interposed, however small, he sees. Milton. 3. To retard; to interrupt; to render slow; as, progress is often obstructed by difficulties, though not entirely stopped. SYN. To bar, barricade, stop, arrest, check, interrupt, clog, choke, impede, retard, embarrass, oppose.

Obstructer (ob-strukt'èr), n. One that obstructs or hinders. Whitlock.

Obstruction (ob-struk'shon), n. [L. obstructio. See OBSTRUCT.] 1. The act of obstructing; as, the obstruction of a road by felled trees.-2. Obstacle; impediment; anything that stops or closes a way, passage, or channel; as, bars of sand at the mouths of rivers are often obstructions to navigation.-3. That which impedes progress; check; hinderance; as, disunion and party spirit are often obstructions to public prosperity. A popular assembly free from obstructions.' Swift.4. The state of having the vital functions obstructed or stopped from their natural courses; death. To lie in cold obstruction and to rot. Shak. [Rare.]-SYN. Obstacle, bar, barrier, impediment, clog, check, hinderance, embarrassment. Obstructionist (ob-struk'shon-ist), n. who hinders or interrupts progress or the

One

In an

transaction of business; an obstructive. Obstructive (ob-struk'tiv), a. Obstructing or tending to obstruct; presenting obstacles; hindering; causing impediment; as, measures obstructive of justice. Obstructive (ob-struk'tiv), n. One who or that which obstructs; more especially one who opposes progress or reform; one who hinders the transaction of business. Obstructively (ob-struktiv-li), adv. obstructive manner; by way of obstruction. Obstruent (ob'stru-ent), a. [L. obstruens, ppr. of obstruo, to block up. See OBSTRUCT.] Blocking up; hindering. Johnson. Obstruent (ob'stry-ent), n. Anything that obstructs; especially, anything that blocks up the natural passages of the body. Obstupefactiont (ob-stu'pe-fak"shon), n. [L. obstupefacio-prefix ob, and stupefacio. See STUPEFY.] Same as Stupefaction. Bailey.

Obstupefactivet (ob-stū'pe-fak-tiv), a. [See above.] Same as Stupefactive. Obstupefyt (ob-stū'pe-fi), v.t. To stupefy. Obtain (ob-tan'), v. t. [L. obtineo, to obtain, acquire, prevail, maintain-prefix ob, and teneo, to hold.] 1. To gain possession of; to gain; to procure; to receive; to get; to acquire. That I am desperate of obtaining

her.' Shak. It be that I may obtain children by her. may Gen. xvi. 2. Some pray for riches; riches they obtain. Dryden. We acquire by our own efforts; we obtain by the efforts of others as well as ourselves; we gain or win by striving; we earn by labour. Crabb,

2. To maintain possession of; to keep; to hold.

His mother then is mortal, but his sire,

He who obtains the monarchy of heaven. Milton. -Attain, Obtain, Procure. See under ATTAIN.

Obtain (ob-tän), v. i. 1. To be received in customary or common use; to continue in use; to be established in practice; to hold good; to subsist; as, the custom still obtains among these people.

The Theodosian code, several hundred years after Justinian's time, obtained in the western parts of the empire. Baker.

2. To prevail; to succeed. [Rare.]

There is due from the judge to the advocate, some commendation where causes are fair pleaded; espe cially towards the side which obtaineth not. Bacon. Obtainable (ob-tān'a-bl), a. Capable of being obtained, procured, or gained; procurable; as, a dye obtainable from a plant. Obtainer (ob-tān'ér), n. One who obtains. Johnson.

Obtainment (ob-tan'ment), n. The act of obtaining; attainment.

Placing a large proportion of the comforts and luxuries of life within our reach, and rendering the obtainment of knowledge comparatively easy among the great mass of the sons of toil. Gladstone. Obtected (ob-tekt'ed), a. [L. obtectus, from prefix ob, and tego, tectus, to cover.] Covered; protected; especially, in zool. covered with a hard shelly case.

292

Obtecto-venose (ob-tek'tō-vē-nõs), a. In bot. a term applied to a leaf whose principal and longitudinal veins are held together by simple cross-veins.

Obtemper (ob-tem'pér), v.t. [See below.] In Scots law, to obey or comply with a judgment of court; to implement. Obtemperatet (ob-tem'per-at), v.t. [L. obtempero, to obey.] To obey; to yield obedience to. Bailey.

Obtendt (ob-tend'), v.t. [L. obtendo- ob, against, and tendo, to stretch; lit. to stretch against or before.] 1. To oppose; to hold out in opposition. Dryden.-2. To pretend; to offer as the reason of anything.

Thou dost with lies the throne invade, Obtending Heaven for whate'er ills befal. Dryden. Obtenebration (ob-ten'e-bră"shon), n. [From L. obtenebro, to make dark-prefix ob, and tenebræ, darkness.] A darkening; act of darkening; darkness. [Rare.]

In every megrim or vertigo there is an obtenebration joined with a semblance of turning round. Bacon.

Obtension t (ob-ten'shon), n. The act of obtending. Johnson.

Obtest (ob-test'), v. t. [L. obtestor-prefix ob, and testor, to witness.] 1. To call upon earnestly; to entreat; to conjure. Bp. Burnet. 2. To beg for; to supplicate. 'Obtest his clemency.' Dryden.

Obtest + (ob-test), v.i. To protest. [Rare.] We must not bid them good speed, but obtest against them. Waterhouse.

Obtestation (ob-tes-tā'shon), n. 1. The act of obtesting or entreating; supplication; entreaty. Our humblest petitions and obtestations.' Milton.-2. The act of protesting.

Obtrectationt (ob-trek-ta'shon), n. [L. obtrectatio, from obtrecto, to detract fromob, against, and tracto, intens. of traho, to draw.] Slander; detraction; calumny. Obloquy or obtrectation.' Barrow. Obtrition (ob-tri'shon), n. [L. obtritio, from obtero, to bruise.] A breaking or bruising; a wearing away by friction. Maunder. Obtrude (ob-tröd), v. t. pret. & pp. obtruded; ppr. obtruding. [L. obtrudo-prefix ob, and trudo, to thrust.] 1. To thrust prominently forward; to force into any place or state unduly or without solicitation: often with reflexive pronouns; as, to obtrude one's self upon a person's notice.

The objects of our senses obtrude their particular ideas upon our minds, whether we will or no. Locke. The spectral form of an awful fate dominating all things human and divine might lurk in the background, but it did not obtrude itself. Dr. Caird.

2. To offer with unreasonable importunity; to urge upon against the will.

Why shouldst thou then obtrude this diligence In vain, where no acceptance it can find? Milton. Obtrude (ob-tröd'), v.i. To enter when not invited; to come prominently into notice, especially in an unwelcome manner. Obtruder (ob-tröd'èr), n. One who obtrudes. Boyle.

Obtruncatet (ob-trung'kāt), v. t. [L. obtrunco -prefix ob, and trunco, to cut off. ] To deprive of a limb; to lop. Cockeram. Obtruncationt (ob-trung-kä'shon), n. The act of lopping or cutting off. Cockeram. Obtrusion (ob-trö'zhon), n. [L. obtrusio. See OBTRUDE.] The act of obtruding; a thrusting upon others by force or unsolicited; as, the obtrusion of crude opinions on the world. 'Savage rudeness and importunate obtrusions.' Eikōn Basilikē. Obtrusionist (ob-trö'zhon-ist), n. One who obtrudes; a person of obtrusive manners; one who favours obtrusion. Gent. Mag. Obtrusive (ob-trösiv), a. Disposed to obtrude anything upon others; inclined to intrude or thrust one's self among others, or to enter uninvited; forward; intrusive.

Her virtue, and the conscience of her worth, That would be woo'd and not unsought be won, Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retired. Milton. Obtrusively (ob-trö'siv-li), adv. In an obtrusive manner; by way of obtrusion or thrusting upon others, or entering unsolicited; as, to put forward opinions obtrusively.

Obtrusiveness (ob-trö'siv-nes), n. The state or quality of being obtrusive. Obtund+ (ob-tund'), v. t. [L. obtundo-prefix ob, and tundo, to beat.] 1. To dull; to blunt; to quell; to deaden; to reduce pungency, or violent action of anything.

Avicen countermands letting blood in choleric bodies, because he esteems the blood a bridle of gall, obtunding its acrimony and fierceness. Harvey.

Obtundent (ob-tun'dent), n. A mucilaginous, oily, or bland medicine employed to sheathe parts from irritation, and to blunt that of certain morbid secretions. Nearly the same as Demulcent. Obturation (ob-tu-rā'shon), n. [From L. obturo, obturatum, to stop up.] The act of closing or stopping up. Cotgrave. Obturator (ob'tu-rat-ér), n. [See above.] 1. That which closes or stops up an entrance, cavity, or the like: chiefly or exclusively an anatomical term; as, obturator muscles, two muscles of the gluteal region.-Obturator externus, a muscle arising from the obturator foramen, &c., and inserted into the root of the trochanter major.-Obturator internus, arising and inserted as the externus. This and the preceding muscle move the thigh backwards, and roll it upon its axis.-Obturator foramen, another name of the thyroid foramen, a large oval interval between the ischium and the pubes.-Obturator nerve, a nerve formed by a branch from the third, and another from the fourth lumbar nerve, and distributed to the obturator externus and adductor muscles of the thigh, &c.-2. In surg. a screw-shaped, pointed instrument used in cases of lithotomy. Obtusangular (ob-tūs-ang'gū-lėr), a. [Obtuse and angular.] Having angles that are obtuse, or larger than right angles. Obtuse (ob-tus), a. [L. obtusus, from obtundo, obtusum, to strike, to beat, to blunt -prefix ob, and tundo, tudi (Skr. tud), to strike, to beat, whence contusion.] 1. Not pointed or acute; blunt: applied to an angle, it denotes one that is larger than a right angle, or more than ninety degrees.-2. Not having acute sensibility; stupid; dull; as, he is very obtuse; his perceptions are obtuse. 'Ages dark, obtuse, and steep'd in sense.' Young.-3. Not sharp or shrill; as, an obtuse sound. Johnson. Obtuse leaf, sepal, or petal, in bot. one which is blunt at the end. -Obtuse mucronate leaf, one which is blunt, but which terminates in a rounded point. Obtuse-angled (ob-tüs'ang-gld), a. Having

an obtuse angle; as, an obtuse-angled triangle. Obtuse-angular (obtūs'ang-gu-lér), a. Having obtuse angles. Obtusely (ob-tūs'li), adv. In an obtuse manner: (a) not acutely; bluntly; as, obtusely pointed. (b) Dully; stupidly.

Obtuseness (ob-tus'nes), n. The state of being obtuse: (a) bluntness; as, the obtuseness of an angle. (b) Want of quick sensibility; dulness; as, the obtuseness of the senses. 'Obtuseness of hearing.' Sir T. Watson. (c) Dulness of sound. Obtusion (ob-tū'zhon), n. 1. The act of making obtuse or blunt.-2. The state of being dulled or blunted. Obtusion of the senses, internal and external.' Harvey. Obtusity (ob-tū'si-ti), n. Same as Obtuseness. Quart. Rev. Obumbrant (ob-um'brant), a. In entom. a term applied to a scutum which overhangs the metathorax. Obumbrate (ob-um'brāt), v.t. [L. obumbro -prefix ob, and umbra, a shade.] To shade; to darken; to cloud. 'Clouds which did hang over and obumbrate him.' Howell. [Rare.]

Obumbration (ob-um-brá'shon), n. The act of darkening or obscuring. Sir T. More. [Rare.]

Obuncous (ob-ungkus), a. [L. ob, intens., and uncus, crooked.] Very crooked; hooked. Maunder. Obus (ō'bus), n. [Fr.] A small bomb; a shell.

Obventiont (ob-ven'shon), n. [L. obventio, from obvenio, to come in the way of-ob, before, against, and venio, to come.] That which happens not regularly but incidentally; something occasional; incidental advantage; specifically, an offering, tithe, or oblation. Legacies. . and other casual

ties and obventions. Fuller. Obversant (ob-vèrs'ant), a. [L. obversans, obversor-prefix ob, and versor, to turn.] Conversant; familiar. "That which is most obversant and familiar.' Bacon. Obverse (ob'vèrs), a. 1. Pertaining to the one of two possible sides or theories.-2. In

OBVERSE

numis. applied to the side of a coin or medal bearing the face or head.-3. In bot. having the base narrower than the top, as a leaf.

Obverse (ob'vèrs), n. 1. Anything necessarily involved in, or answering to, another; one of two ways of looking at a thing.

The fact that it (a belief) invariably exists being the obverse of the fact that there is no alternative belief. H. Spencer.

2. In numis. that side of a coin or medal which has the face or head on it, as distinguished from the other side, called the re

verse.

Obverse-lunate (ob'vers-lū-nāt), a. In bot. inversely crescent-shaped; that is, with the horns of the crescent projecting forwards instead of backwards.

Obversely (ob'vèrs-li), adv. In an obverse form or manner.

The act of ob

Obversion (ob-ver'shon), n. verting or turning toward. Obvert (ob-vert'), v.t. [L. obverto-ob, toward, and verto, to turn.] To turn toward.

An erect cone placed in an horizontal plane, at a great distance from the eye, we judge to be nothing but a flat circle, if its base be obverted towards us. Watts.

Obviate (ob'vi-at), v. t. pret. & pp. obviated; ppr. obviating. [L. obvio, obviatum, to meet, withstand, prevent, from obvius, in the way so as to meet-ob, against, and via, a way.] To meet half-way, as difficulties or objections; to remove; to clear out of the way; as, to obviate objections or inconveniences; to obviate the necessity of doing something. 'If after all this long scene of fallacy and imposture. we would effectually obviate the same for the future.' South.

To lay down everything in its full light, so as to obviate all exceptions and remove every difficulty, would carry me too far. Woodward.

Obviation (ob-vi-ä'shon), n. The act of ob-
viating or state of being obviated. [Rare.]
Obvious (ob'vi-us), a. [See OBVIATE.]
1. Standing or placed in front; standing in
the way.
I to the evil
Turn my obvious breast.
Milton.
Nor obvious hill,
Nor straitening vale, nor wood, nor stream, divides
Their perfect ranks.
Milton.

2. Open; exposed to danger or accident.
Why was the sight

Milton.

To such a tender ball as the eye confined, So obvious and so easy to be quench'd? 3. Coming in the way; ready to meet. I miss thee here; Not pleased, thus entertain'd with solitude, Where obvious duty erewhile appeared unsought. Milton.

4. Easily discovered, seen, or understood; plain; manifest; evident; as, the meaning is obvious; it is obvious he is wrong. What obvious truths the wisest heads may miss! Cowper. [Meanings 1, 2, and 3 are Latinisms, and perhaps confined to Milton.]-SYN. Plain, clear, evident, apparent, manifest. Obviously (ob'vi-us-li), adv. In an obvious manner; so as to be easily comprehended; evidently; plainly; apparently; manifestly.

All purely identical propositions obviously and at first blush, contain no instruction. Locke.

We may then more obviously, yet truly, liken the civil state to bulwarks, and the church to a city. Holyday. Obviousness (ob'vi-us-nes), n. State of being obvious, plain, or evident to the eye or the mind.

I thought their easiness or obviousness fitter to recommend than depreciate them. Boyle. Obvolute, Obvoluted (ob'vol-ūt, ob'vol-ūted), a. [L. obvolutus, from obvolvo, to wrap round-prefix ob, and volvo, to roll.] Rolled or turned in or into.-Obvolute foliation, in bot. folia

tion in which the margins of Obvolute. the leaves alternately embrace the straight margin of the opposite leaf. Oby (o'bi), n. Same as Obeah.

Obyism (ō'bi-izm), n. The practice of witchcraft among the negroes of Africa. See OBEAH.

Oc. The form assumed by the prefix ob before e, whether hard or soft, as occur, occiput. Oc, Ock. A diminutive termination, especially common in Scotch words, but also seen in E., as bullock, hillock.

Oc (ok), n. An arrow used by the Turks. Oca (o'ka), n. The name given in South America to two Columbian plants of the genus Oxalis, the O. crenata and O. tuberosa, which bear tubers like the potato. The wild tubers are acid, but when boiled become in

293

sipid. They have been proposed as nutritious food, but are small and not worth cultivating.

Occamy + (ok'ka-mi), n. [A corruption of alchemy.] A mixed metal. Written also Ochimy, Ochymy. See ALCHEMY, 3.

The ten shillings, this thimble, and an occamy spoon from some other unknown poor sinner, are all the atonement which is made for the body of sin in London and Westminster. Steele.

Occasion (ok-kā'zhon), n. [L. occasio, occasionis, from occido, occasum, to fall-prefix oc for ob, and cado, to fall.] 1. An occurrence, casualty, incident, event. (I can) frame my face to all occasions.' Shak.-2. Opportunity; convenience; favourable time, season, or circumstances.

I take it, your own business calls on you
And you embrace the occasion to depart. Shak.
Let me not let pass

Occasion which now smiles.

Milton.

3. Incident, event, or fact giving rise to something else without being its direct or efficient cause; incidental cause.

Her beauty was the occasion of the war. Dryden. Between the real cause and the occasion of any phenomenon there is a wide diversity. The one iniplies a producing power, the other only some condition upon which this power comes into exercise. F. D. Morell.

4. In a more special sense, a cause acting on the will; a motive; a reason.

You have great reason to do Richard right;
Especially for those occasions

At Eltham Place I told your majesty.

Shak.

6. Peculiar position of affairs; circumstances; juncture; exigency; as, he was equal to the occasion.-7. The dispensation of the sacrament of the supper. [Scotch.]

It is no uncommon thing for servants when they are being hired, to stipulate for permission to attend at so many sacraments-or, as they style them in their way occasions, exactly as is elsewhere customLockhart. ary in regard to fairs and wakes.

-By occasion, † incidentally. Hooker.-On or upon occasion, according to opportunity; as opportunity offers; incidentally; from time to time. That we might have intelligence from him on occasion.' De Foe. Occasion (ok-kä'zhon), v. t. 1. To cause incidentally; to cause; to produce; as, consumptions are often occasioned by colds; indigestion occasions pain in the head.-2. To influence; to induce.

If we inquire what it is that occasions men to make several combinations of simple ideas into distinct modes... we shall find the reason to be the end of language. Locke. Occasionable (ok-kā’zhon-a-bl), a. Capable of being caused or occasioned. Barrow. Occasional (ok-ka'zhon-al), a. [Rare.] [Fr. occasionnel.] 1. Incidental; occurring at times, but not regular or systematic; made or happening as opportunity requires or admits. 'Peculiar extravagances, which at least may serve to raise an occasional smile.' D'Israeli.-2.† Produced or producing by accident. The ground or occasional origin hereof.' Sir T. Browne.-3. Produced or made on some special event; as, an occasional discourse; occasional poetry.

Those letters were not writ to all;
Nor first intended but occasional.

Dryden.

-Doctrine of occasional causes, in metaph. a term employed by the Cartesians to explain the mode of communication between mind and matter. The soul being a thinking substance, and extension being the essence of body, no intercourse can take place between them without the intervention of the First Cause. It is Deity, therefore, who, on the occasion of certain modifications of our minds, excites the corresponding movements of body; and, on the occasion of certain changes in our body, awakens the corresponding feelings in the mind. Fleming.

Occasionalism (ok-kä'zhon-al-izm), n. The doctrine of occasional causes. See under OCCASIONAL. Occasionality (ok-kä'zhon-al"i-ti), n. Quality of being occasional. Hallam. [Rare.] Occasionally (ok-kā'zhon-al-li), adv. 1. In an occasional manner; on occasion; according to incidental exigence; at times, as con

OCCLUSION

venience requires or opportunity offers; not regularly; sometimes but not often; as, he was occasionally present at our meetings.

All of these writers have, in my opinion, been occasionally misled in their opinions. D. Stewart. 2. Casually; accidentally.

One of his labouring servants predicted his return, and described the livery of his attendant, which he had never worn at home, and which had been, without any previous design, occasionally given him. Johnson. Occasionate † (ok-kä'zhon-āt), v.t. To occasion.

Dr. H. More.

The lowest may occasionate much ill. Occasioner (ok-kā'zhon-er), n. One that occasions, causes, or produces, either incidentally or otherwise.

He was the occasioner of loss to his neighbour. Bp. Sanderson. Occasivet (ok-kä'siv), a. [From L. occasus, sunset.] Pertaining to the setting sun; western. Wright. [Rare.] Occecation (ok-se-ka'shon), n. [L.occæcatio prefix oc for ob, and coco, to blind.] The act of making blind. [Rare.]

It is an addition to the misery of this inward occecation. Bp. Hall.

Occident (ok'si-dent), n. [Fr. occident, L. occidens, occidentis, ppr. of occido, to fallprefix oc for ob, and cado, to fall.] The western quarter of the hemisphere, so called from the decline or setting of the sun; the west: used in contradistinction to orient. The envious clouds are bent To dim his glory, and to stain the track Of his bright passage to the occident.

Shak.

Occidental (ok-si-dent'al), a. [L. occiden

talis. See OCCIDENT.] 1. Pertaining to the western quarter of the hemisphere, or to some part of the earth westward of the speaker or spectator; western: opposed to oriental; as, occidental climates; occidental gold.

Ere twice in murk and occidental damp,
Moist Hesperus hath quench'd his sleepy lamp.
Shak.

2. Setting after the sun; as, an occidental planet.-3. Having only an inferior degree of beauty and excellence; resembling in some degree true gems: applied to gems in opposition to orient or oriental, the term given to the finest gems, which with but few exceptions come from the East.

Occidentally (ok-si-den'tal-li), adv. In the occident or west; after the sun: opposed to orientally.

Occiduoust (ok-sid'ū-us), a. [L. occiduus. See OCCIDENT. ] Western; occidental. Blount.

Occipital (ok-sip'it-al), a. [From L. occiput, the back part of the head-prefix oc for ob, and caput, the head.] Pertaining to the back part of the head, or to the occiput.-Occipital bone, the pentagonal bone forming the posterior and inferior parts of the skull. Occipital condyles, the condyles which connect the skull with the atlas vertebra. Occipital foramen, an opening in the lower back part of the skull. Occipito-frontalis (ok-sip'i-to-fron-tā"lis), n. [L.] In anat. a single broad digrastic muscle that covers the cranium. It serves to raise the eyebrows upwards, and at the same time draws up and wrinkles the skin of the forehead.

Occiput (ok'si-put), n. [L. oc for ob, and caput, head.] The hinder part of the head, or that part of the skull which forms the hind part of the head.

Occisiont (ok-si'zhon), n. [L. occisio, from occido, to kill-ob, and cædo, to slay.] A killing; the act of killing. Sir M. Hale. Occlude (ok-klūd'), v.t. pret. & pp. occluded; ppr. occluding. [L. occludo-ob, and claudo, to shut.] 1. To shut up; to close. [Rare.] 2. In chem. to absorb: applied to a body absorbing and, as it were, concealing another, without chemical combination.

[See OCCLUDE.]

Professor Graham has shown its (palladium's) remarkable power of absorbing hydrogen. When a strip of palladium is made the negative electrode in an apparatus for decomposing water, it absorbs 800 or 900 times its volume of hydrogen, expanding perceptibly during the absorption. This occluded gas is again given off, when the substance, which Professor Graham believed to be an actual alloy of palladium Madan. and hydrogen, is heated to redness. Occludent (ok-klü'dent), a. Serving to shut up or close. Occludent (ok-klű’dent), n. Anything that closes or shuts up. Sterne. [Rare.] Occluse (ok-klus), a. [L. occlusus, pp. of occludo, to shut. See OCCLUDE.] Shut; closed. Holder. [Rare.] Occlusion (ok-klū'zhon), n. 1. A shutting up; a closing; specifically, in pathol. the

OCCRUSTATE

total or partial closure of a vessel, cavity, or hollow organ; imperforation. Dunglison. — 2. In chem. the act of occluding or absorbing and concealing; the state of being occluded.

Occrustatet (ok-krust'āt), v.t. [L. oc for ob, intens., and crusto, to encrust.] To encase as in a crust; to harden. Dr. H. More. Occult (ok-kult),a. [L. occultus, pp. of occulo, to cover over-prefix oc for ob, and root seen in celo, to conceal, Gr. kalyptō, to cover, and E. hell.] Hidden from the eye or understanding; invisible and mysterious; unknown; undiscovered; undetected. occult and remote origin of Druidism.' I. D'Israeli.

'The

These are manifest qualities, and their causes only are occult. Newton.

-Occult qualities, those qualities of body or spirit which baffled the investigation of the ancient philosophers, and for which they were unable to give any reason. -Occult crimes, in Scots law, such as are committed in secret or in privacy.-Occult diseases, in med. those diseases the cause and treatment of which are not understood.-Occult lines are such as are used in the construction of a drawing, but do not appear in the finished work; also, dotted lines are so called.-Occult sciences, the imaginary sciences of the middle ages, as magic, alchemy, necromancy, and astrology, especially the first. Occultation (ok-kul-tä'shon), n. [L. occultatio, occultationis, a hiding, from occulto. to hide. See OCCULT.] 1. In astron. (a) the hiding of a star or planet from our sight, by passing behind some other of the heavenly bodies. It is particularly applied to the eclipse of a fixed star by the moon. (b) The time of a planet or star being so hidden.2. Fig. disappearance from view; withdrawal from public notice. "The re-appearance of such an author after those long periods of occultation. Jeffrey.-Circle of perpetual occultation, a small circle of the celestial sphere parallel to the equator, as far distant from the depressed pole as the elevated pole is from the horizon. It contains all those stars which never appear in our hemisphere. It is opposed to the circle of perpetual apparition.

Occulted (ok-kult'ed), a. 1. Hid; secret. 'Occulted guilt.' Shak.-2. In astron. a term applied to a heavenly body hid or concealed by the intervention of some other heavenly body. Same as Occul

Occulting (ok-kult'ing), n. tation.

The occulting or hiding of a star by the moon is a phenomenon identical in nature with a solar eclipse. Prof. Nichol.

Occultly (ok-kultʼli), adv. In an occult

manner.

Occultness (ok-kult'nes), n.

The state of being occult, hidden, or unknown; secret

ness.

Occupancy (ok’kū-pan-si), n. [From occupant.] 1. The act of taking possession; specifically, in law, the taking possession of a thing not belonging to any person, and the right acquired by such taking possession.

As we before observed that occupancy gave the right to the temporary use of the soil, so it is agreed upon all hands that occupancy gave also the original right to the permanent property in the substance of the earth itself; which excludes every one else but the owner from the use of it. Blackstone.

Formerly, when a man held land pur autre vie (for the life of another), and died before that other, as his estate could not descend to his heir nor revert to the donor until the determination of the life upon it, it was considered to belong of right to the first who took possession of it for the remainder of the life, which was termed general occupancy. And when the gift was to one and his heirs for the life of another, the heir was said to take as special occupant. As the law now stands, however, a man is enabled to devise lands held by him pur autre vie, and if no such devise be made, and there be no special occupant, it goes to his executors or administrators. 2. The act of occupying or holding in possession; the term during which one is an occupant; as, during his occupancy of the post. Occupant (ok'ku-pant), n. [L. occupans, occupantis, ppr. of occupo, to occupy.] 1. One who occupies or takes possession; one who has possession; an occupier.-2. In law, one who first takes possession of that which has no legal owner.-3. A whore. 'Whose senses some damned occupant bereaves." Marston.

294

Occupatet (ok'kū-pāt), v.t. [L. occupo, to take.] To take possession of; to possess; to occupy. Bacon.

Occupation (ok-kū-pā'shon), n. [L. occupatio, occupationis, from occupo. See OcCUPY.] 1. The act of occupying or taking possession; a holding or keeping; possession; tenure.

Spain hath enlarged the bounds of its crown within the last sixscore years, much more than the Ottomans; I speak not of matches or unions, but of arms, occupations, invasions. Bacon.

2. State of being employed or occupied in any way; that which engages time and attention. Their constant occupations, To measure wind and weigh the air, And turn a circle to a square.

S. Butler. 3. The principal business of one's life; a vocation; calling; trade.

And, O you mortal engines, whose rude throats The immortal Jove's dread clamours counterfeit, Farewell! Othello's occupation's gone. Shak. By their occupation they were tent-makers. Acts xviii. 3. -Occupation bridge, a bridge carried over or under a line of railway or canal to connect the parts of a farm or estate severed by the canal or line.-Occupation road, a private road for the use of the occupiers of the land.

Occupier (ok'ku-pi-ér), n. 1. One that occupies or takes possession; one that has possession; an occupant; as, the occupier of a house. 2. One who follows an employment. Eze. xxvii. 27.

Merchants and occupiers gave it that name. Holland. Occupy (ok'ku-pi), v.t. pret. & pp. occupied; ppr. occupying. [L. occupo, to take possession of, to possess, to take up, to employprefix oc for ob, and capio, to seize or take.] 1. To take possession of; to keep in possession; to possess; to hold and use; as, to occupy a house or a farm; he rented the apartments, but never occupied them. 'Constantly occupying the same individual spot.' Blackstone. The better apartments were already occupied.' Irving.-2. To take up, as room or space; to possess; to cover or fill. The infinite bodies of men must occupy an infinite space. Bentley.

3. To take and use; to use; to lay out in traffic. Judges xvi. 11.

If I should take this sum of money and occupy it not it is as much as I had it not: on the other side if I occupy it, I shall make all the city speak ill of the king and me both. North.

4. To employ; to engage; to busy: often used reflexively; as, to occupy one's time; to occupy one's self about something.

They had a people to deal with whom they found it easy to occupy with such pursuits. Brougham. 5. To follow, as business or employment; to attend to. Occupy their business.' Ps. cvii. 23. (Prayer-Book version.)

All the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. Ezek. xxvii. 9.

6. To possess; to enjoy (with an obscene double meaning).

Groyne, come of age, his state sold out of hand
For's whore; Groyne still doth occupy his land.
B. Jonson.

These villains will make the word as odious as the word 'occupy,' which was an excellent good word before it was ill sorted. Shak.

Occupy (ok'ku-pi), v.i. 1. To be an occupant; to hold possession.-2. To follow business; to traffic. Occupy till I come.' Luke xix.

13.

Occur (ok-kér), v.i. pret. & pp. occurred; ppr. occurring. [L. occurro-ob, against, and curro, to run.] 1. To meet; to strike against; to clash.

Bodies have a determinate motion according to the degrees of their external impulse, their inward principle of gravitation, and the resistance of the bodies they occur with. Bentley.

2. To meet or come to the mind; to be presented to the mind, imagination, or memory; as, such a reflexion has often occurred to me. There doth not occur to me any use of this experi ment for profit. Bacon.

3. To befall; to happen; to take place. I shall travail for the new signature of your warrant for the same as soon as any opportunity shall occur. Wyatt.

4. To exist so as to be capable of being found or seen; to be found; to come under observation; to be met with; as, silver often occurs native.

In Scripture though the word heir occur, yet there is no such thing as heir in our author's sense. Locke. 5. To oppose; to obviate: with to.

Before I begin that, I must occur to one specious objection against this proposition. Bentley.

In education most time is to be bestowed on that which is of the greatest consequence in the ordinary course and occurrences of that life the young man is Locke. designed for.

-Event, Occurrence, Incident, Circumstance. See EVENT.

Occurrent † (ok-kur'rent), n. 1. One who meets; an adversary.

The weak part of their occurrents, by which they Holland. may assail and conquer the sooner.

2. Incident; anything that happens.

He did himself certify all the news and occurrents in every particular, from Calice to the mayor and aldermen of London. Bacon.

Occurrent (ok-kur'rent), a. Incidental; coming in the way; occurring. Ash. Occurset (ok-kėrs'), n. An occursion; a meeting. [Rare.]

If anything at unawares shall pass from us, a sudden accident, occurse, or meeting, &c. Burton. Occursion† (ok-kér'shon), n. [L. occursio, from occurro, to meet.] A meeting of bodies; a clash. 'Justled by the occursion of other bodies.' Glanville.

Al

Ocean (o'shan), n. [L. oceanus, from Gr. ōkeanos, the ocean] 1. The vast body of water which covers more than three-fifths of the surface of the globe; the sea. though no portion of it is completely detached from the rest, the ocean has often been divided into several great basins or areas, viz. the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean, the great bodies of water which divide the landmasses of the Old and New Worlds, and which intervene between the former and the southern continent, Australia; together with the Arctic and the Antarctic Oceans, round the north and south poles respectively. Between these no very definite limits can be drawn; thus it is impossible to say where the Atlantic or the Pacific ends, and the Antarctic or Southern Ocean begins. The Arctic Ocean, at least that portion of it that washes the northern shores of Europe and Asia, is often treated as a portion of the Atlantic basin. The minor ramifications of the ocean into land are known as seas, bays, gulfs, creeks, inlets, &c., according to their forms and dimensions. The bed of the ocean appears to present the same irregularities as the surface of the land, being diversified by rocks, mountains, plains, and deep valleys. The level of the ocean, generally speaking, is everywhere the same, but the disturbing actions of the sun and moon, of the winds, and of currents occasion slight inequalities. The extreme depth of the ocean hitherto sounded is 4655 fathoms, which was found off the Kurile Islands in the North Pacific. The saltness of the ocean is due to the presence of various saline ingredients (chiefly chloride of sodium or common salt), which are generally found in the proportion of from 30 to 40 per thousand. Recent observations have shown that the colour and transparency of the water of the ocean are in a large measure dependent on the degree of saltness. In general it is found that the greater the saltness, the greater the transparency, and also that where the saltness is very great the water is of a dark blue colour, that where it is less the water is of lighter blue, inclining to green, and that in the neighbourhood of rivers (where the saltness is reduced to a minimum) the water is as a rule of a greenish yellow.-2. An immense expanse; as, the boundless ocean of eternity; oceans of duration and space.

I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble, or a prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. Newton. Ocean (o'shan), a. Pertaining to the main or great sea; as, the ocean wave.

In bulk as huge as that sea-beast Leviathan, which God of all his works Created hugest that swim the ocean stream. Milton. Oceanic (ō-shē-an'ik), a. 1. Pertaining to the ocean; occurring in or produced by the ocean. 'Petrels are the most aërial and