Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nihil obstat

/ˈnɪhɪl ˈɒbstæt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.23 in modern English

Syllables: ni-hil ob-stat
IPA: /ˈnɪhɪl ˈɒbstæt/

16

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A declaration of no objection; (specifically) a declaration used by the Catholic Church to indicate a book, initiative, or appointment to an office has been found to not breach religious or moral norms.

Example Sentences

"This ingenious plan expressed in a booklet by the Italian Roman Catholic priest had received three Nihil Obstats and two Imprimaturs from his bishop."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin nihil obstat, from nihil (“nothing”) + obstat (“hinders”).

Inflected Forms

nihil obstats (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

imprimatur

Questions

How do you pronounce nihil obstat?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnɪhɪl ˈɒbstæt/.
What does nihil obstat mean?: A declaration of no objection; (specifically) a declaration used by the Catholic Church to indicate a book, initiative, or appointment to an office has been found to not breach religious or moral norms.
Where does nihil obstat come from?: Borrowed from Latin nihil obstat, from nihil (“nothing”) + obstat (“hinders”).

How to pronounce nihil obstat

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nihil obstat”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnɪhɪl ˈɒbstæt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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