Obovate, ob-ō′vāt, adj. (bot.) egg-shaped, as a leaf, with the narrow end next the leaf-stalk.—adv. Obō′vātely.—adj. Obō′void, solidly obovate.
Obreption, ob-rep′shun, n. obtaining of gifts of escheat by falsehood—opp. to Subreption (q.v.).—adj. Obreptit′ious.
Obscene, ob-sēn′, adj. offensive to chastity: unchaste: indecent: disgusting: ill-omened.—adv. Obscene′ly.—ns. Obscene′ness, Obscen′ity, quality of being obscene: lewdness. [L. obscenus.]
Obscure, ob-skūr′, adj. dark: not distinct: not easily understood: not clear, legible, or perspicuous: unknown: humble: unknown to fame: living in darkness.—v.t. to darken: to make less plain: to render doubtful.—ns. Obscū′rant, one who labours to prevent enlightenment or reform; Obscū′rantism, opposition to inquiry or reform; Obscū′rantist, an obscurant.—adj. pertaining to obscurantism.—n. Obscūrā′tion, the act of obscuring or state of being obscured.—adv. Obscūre′ly.—ns. Obscūre′ment; Obscūre′ness; Obscū′rer; Obscū′rity, state or quality of being obscure: darkness: an obscure place or condition: unintelligibleness: humility. [Fr.,—L. obscurus.]
Obsecrate, ob′se-krāt, v. to beseech: to implore.—n. Obsecrā′tion, supplication: one of the clauses in the Litany beginning with by.—adj. Ob′secrātory, supplicatory. [L. obsecrāre, -ātum, to entreat; ob, before, sacrāre—sacer, sacred.]
Obsequies, ob′se-kwiz, n.pl. funeral rites and solemnities:—sing. Ob′sequy (Milt.)—rarely used.—adj. Obsē′quial. [Fr. obsèques—L. obsequiæ—ob, before, upon, sequi, to comply.]
Obsequious, ob-sē′kwi-us, adj. compliant to excess: meanly condescending.—adv. Obsē′quiously.—n. Obsē′quiousness. [Fr.,—L. obsequiosus, compliant, obsequium, compliance.]
Observe, ob-zėrv′, v.t. to keep in view: to notice: to subject to systematic observation: to regard attentively: to remark, refer to in words: to comply with: to heed and to carry out in practice: to keep with proper ceremony: to keep or guard.—v.i. to take notice: to attend: to remark.—adj. Observ′able, that may be observed or noticed: worthy of observation: remarkable: requiring to be observed.—n. Observ′ableness.—adv. Observ′ably.—ns. Observ′ance, act of observing or paying attention to: performance: attention: that which is to be observed: rule of practice, a custom to be observed: reverence: homage; Observ′ancy, observance: obsequiousness.—adj. Observ′ant, observing: having powers of observing and noting: taking notice: adhering to: carefully attentive.—n. (Shak.) an obsequious attendant: one strict to comply with a custom, &c.; or Observ′antine, one of those Franciscan monks of stricter rule who separated from the Conventuals in the 15th century.—adv. Observ′antly.—n. Observā′tion, act of observing: habit of seeing and noting: attention: the act of recognising and noting phenomena as they occur in nature, as distinguished from experiment: that which is observed: a remark: performance: the fact of being observed.—adj. Observā′tional, consisting of, or containing, observations or remarks: derived from observation, as distinguished from experiment.—adv. Observā′tionally.—adj. Obser′vative, attentive.—ns. Ob′servātor, one who observes: a remarker; Observ′atory, a place for making astronomical and physical observations, usually placed in some high and stable place; Observ′er.—adj. Observ′ing, habitually taking notice: attentive.—adv. Observ′ingly. [Fr.,—L. observāre, -ātum—ob, before, servāre, to keep.]
Obsession, ob-sesh′un, n. persistent attack, esp. of an evil spirit upon a person: the state of being so molested from without—opp. to Possession, or control by an evil spirit from within. [L. obsession-em—obsidēre, to besiege.]
Obsidian, ob-sid′i-an, n. a natural glass—the vitreous condition of an acid lava. [From Obsidius, who, according to Pliny, discovered it in Ethiopia.]