Oblique, ob-lēk′, adj. slanting: not perpendicular: not parallel: not straightforward: obscure: (geom.) not a right-angle: (gram.) denoting any case except the nominative.—v.i. to deviate from a direct line or from the perpendicular, to slant: to advance obliquely by facing half right or left and then advancing.—ns. Obliquā′tion, Oblique′ness, Obliq′uity, state of being oblique: a slanting direction: error or wrong: irregularity.—adv. Oblique′ly.—adj. Obliq′uid (Spens.), oblique.—Oblique cone or cylinder, one whose axis is oblique to the plane of its base; Oblique narration or speech (L. oratio obliqua), indirect narration, the actual words of the speaker, but, as related by a third person, having the first person in pronoun and verb converted into the third, adverbs of present time into the corresponding adverbs of past time, &c.; Oblique sailing, the reduction of the position of a ship from the various courses made good, oblique to the meridian or parallel of latitude; Obliquity of the ecliptic, the angle between the plane of the earth's orbit and that of the earth's equator. [Fr.,—L. obliquus—ob, before, liquis, slanting.]
Obliterate, ob-lit′ėr-āt, v.t. to blot out, so as not to be readable: to wear out: to destroy: to reduce to a very low state.—n. Obliterā′tion, act of obliterating: a blotting or wearing out: extinction.—adj. Oblit′erātive. [L. obliterāre, -ātum—ob, over, litera, a letter.]
Oblivion, ob-liv′i-un, n. act of forgetting or state of being forgotten: remission of punishment.—adj. Obliv′ious, forgetful: prone to forget: causing forgetfulness.—adv. Obliv′iously.—ns. Obliv′iousness; Oblivisc′ence. [Fr.,—L. oblivion-em—oblivisci, to forget.]
Oblong, ob′long, adj. long in one way: longer than broad.—n. (geom.) a rectangle longer than broad: any oblong figure.—adj. Ob′longish.—adv. Ob′longly.—n. Ob′longness. [Fr.,—L. ob, over, longus, long.]
Obloquy, ob′lo-kwi, n. reproachful language: censure: calumny: disgrace. [L. obloquium—ob, against, loqui, to speak.]
Obmutescence, ob-mū-tes′ens, n. loss of speech, dumbness. [L. obmutescĕre, to become dumb.]
Obnoxious, ob-nok′shus, adj. liable to hurt or punishment: exposed to: guilty: blameworthy: offensive: subject: answerable.—adv. Obnox′iously.—n. Obnox′iousness. [L.,—ob, before, noxa, hurt.]
Obnubilation, ob-nū-bi-lā′shun, n. the act of making dark or obscure.—v.t. Obnū′bilāte. [Low L. obnubilare, to cloud over—L. ob, over, nubilus, cloudy.]
Oboe, ō′bō-e, n. a treble reed musical instrument, usually with fifteen keys, with a rich tone, giving the pitch to the violin in the orchestra: a treble stop on the organ, its bass being the bassoon—also Hautboy.—n. O′bōist, a player on the oboe.—Oboe d'Amore, an obsolete alto oboe; Oboe di Caccia, an obsolete tenor oboe, or rather tenor bassoon. [Fr. hautbois.]
Obol, ob′ol, n. in ancient Greece, a small coin, worth rather more than three-halfpence: also a weight, the sixth part of a drachma—also Ob′olus:—pl. Ob′oli (ī).—adj. Ob′olary, consisting of obols: extremely poor. [Gr. obelos, a spit.]