Extremely difficult to understand; obscure and complex, often referring to ideas, theories, or concepts that require deep thought and specialized knowledge to comprehend.
From Latin 'abstrusus,' past participle of 'abstrudere' meaning 'to hide away,' from 'abs-' (away) + 'trudere' (to push). The original sense was of something pushed away or hidden from easy access or understanding.
Think 'AB-STRUSE' sounds like 'AB-STUCK' - the meaning is stuck away from you, hidden and hard to reach! Like trying to understand quantum physics - it's pushed away from normal comprehension.
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