obscurum per obscurius
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
32
Scrabble Score
20
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
phrase
Synonym of ignotum per ignotius (“explaining an obscure subject by resort to one even more obscure”).
Example Sentences
- "We have no doubt—in spite of those rumours to the contrary which took so preposterous a shape in the table-talk of Lord Byron—that Miss More’s part in the transaction was blameless; but she certainly owes little to the dull slipslop with which Mr. Roberts has contrived to overlay—obscurum per obscurius—the only page in her history that really demanded elucidation."
- "Ivy has been compared to Latin ibex ‘wild goat’ (that is ‘climber’), but, unfortunately, the origin of ibex is obscure […] and, according to the golden rule of etymology, one should never explain obscurum per obscurius."
- "In the first place, it cannot be denied that Napoleon changed the political face of Europe in a mere ten years[…]. To explain this by the intervention of some vast, impersonal force is undoubtedly an explanation of obscurum per obscurius at the very least, and it seems quixotic to deny that Napoleon’s rare talent as a military commander must have played a role here as well."
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: obscūrum per obscūrius