Abtruse

/æbˈtruːs/ adjective

Definition

Difficult to understand; obscure, recondite, or overly complicated in a way that makes it hard to grasp.

Etymology

From Latin abstrusus 'hidden, concealed' (past participle of abstrudere: ab- 'away' + trudere 'to thrust'). Related to abstruse but appears as a variant spelling in older texts.

Kelly Says

This is basically an archaic spelling of 'abstruse'—philologists find these variant spellings fascinating because they show how spelling wasn't standardized in English until the 1700s-1800s!

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