obtenebration means the act of darkening, or darkness. It carries an Arena rating of 1524, earned across 154 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, obtenebration ranks #536 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #1,130 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,418 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #2,058 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “obtenebration” is a great word
OBTENEBRATION — [Noun] The act of darkening or the state of being darkened. From Latin *obtenebration-*, *obtenebratio*, from *obtenebrare* ("to make dark"), from *ob-* (intensive prefix) + *tenebrae* ("darkness"). Unlike "obfuscation," which deliberately muddies meaning, or "shadow," which is a specific shape cast by blocked light, obtenebration is the blanket imposition of pervasive gloom. It is the slow, oil-like seep of ink through clear water, the total lunar eclipse that swallows the moon whole, and the sudden, palpable chill when the final candle is snuffed—a totalizing eclipse that is not a mere absence, but an active and encroaching force, a tactile retreat into a private interior where seeing is no longer required.
Etymology
From Latin obtenebrate (“to make dark”).
noun
- The act of darkening, or darkness.e.g.“In every megrim or vertigo, there is an obtenebration joined with a semblance of turning round.” — 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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