different between subtle vs abstruse
subtle
English
Alternative forms
- subtil, subtile, suttle (all obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil, borrowed from Old French soutil, subtil, from Latin subt?lis (“fine, thin, slender, delicate”); probably, originally, “woven fine”, and from sub (“under”) + tela (“a web”), from texere (“to weave”). Displaced native Old English sm?ag.
Pronunciation
- enPR: s?t'(?)l, IPA(key): /?s?t(?)l/, [?s????]
- Rhymes: -?t?l
Adjective
subtle (comparative subtler or more subtle, superlative subtlest or most subtle)
- Hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood; barely noticeable.
- Antonym: simple
- 1712, Richard Blackmore, Creation: A Philosophical Poem. Demonstrating the Existence and Providence of a God. In Seven Books, book I, London: Printed for S. Buckley, at the Dolphin in Little-Britain; and J[acob] Tonson, at Shakespear's Head over-against Catherine-Street in the Strand, OCLC 731619916; 5th edition, Dublin: Printed by S. Powell, for G. Risk, G. Ewing, and W. Smith, in Dame's-street, 1727, OCLC 728300884, page 7:
- The mighty Magnet from the Center darts / This ?trong, tho' ?ubtile Force, thro' all the Parts: / Its active Rays ejaculated thence, / Irradiate all the wide Circumference.
- (of a thing) Cleverly contrived.
- (of a person or animal) Cunning, skillful.
- Synonyms: crafty, cunning, skillful
- Insidious.
- Synonyms: deceptive, malicious
- 1623, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Richard the Third, Act IV, scene 4:
- Thy age confirmed, proud, subtle, bloody, treacherous.
- Tenuous; rarefied; of low density or thin consistency.
- (obsolete) Refined; exquisite.
Derived terms
Translations
References
- subtle in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- subtle in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “subtle”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN
Anagrams
- bluest, bluets, bustle, butles, sublet
subtle From the web:
- what subtle means
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abstruse
English
Etymology
From French abstrus or its source, Latin abstr?sus (“hidden, concealed”), the perfect passive participle of abstr?d? (“conceal, to push away”), itself from ab, abs (“away”) + tr?d? (“thrust, push”). Cognate with German abstrus.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?b?st?u?s/
- (General American) IPA(key): /æb?st?us/, /?b-/
- Rhymes: -u?s
- Hyphenation: ab?struse
Adjective
abstruse (comparative abstruser or more abstruse, superlative abstrusest or most abstruse)
- Difficult to comprehend or understand. [from late 16th c.]
- Synonyms: esoteric, obscure, recondite
- (obsolete) Concealed or hidden out of the way; secret. [from late 16th c. until mid 18th c.]
Usage notes
More abstruse and most abstruse are the preferred forms over abstruser and abstrusest.
Synonyms
- (concealed): clandestine, secret, surreptitious; See also Thesaurus:covert
- (difficult to comprehend): esoteric, obscure, recondite; See also Thesaurus:incomprehensible
Derived terms
- abstrusely
- abstruseness
Translations
References
Further reading
- abstruse in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- abstruse in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- Staubers, Straubes, surbates, surbeats
French
Adjective
abstruse
- feminine singular of abstrus
Anagrams
- arbustes
German
Adjective
abstruse
- inflection of abstrus:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Latin
Participle
abstr?se
- vocative masculine singular of abstr?sus
References
- abstruse in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
abstruse From the web:
- abstruse meaning
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