obfuscate

The story

1. Latin · derived fromob-
2. Late Latin · borrowed fromobfuscātus, offuscātus
3. Old French · derived fromoffusquer
4. Middle French · borrowed fromobfusquer, offusquer
5. English todayobfuscate

The adjective is first attested in 1487, in Middle English, the verb in 1536; either borrowed from Middle French obfusquer, offusquer, from Old French offusquer, or directly from Late Latin obfuscātus, offuscātus, the perfect passive participle of obfuscō, offuscō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin ob- + fuscō (“to darken”). Doublet of dusken (“to darken, make obscure”).

Words from the same roots