/ ˌɒbskjuˈræntɪzəm; NAmE ɑːbˈskjʊr-/ noun
[ U ] ( formal ) the practice of deliberately preventing sb from understanding or discovering sth
► ob·scur·ant·ist adjective
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 19th cent.: from earlier obscurant , denoting a person who obscures something, via German from Latin obscurant- making dark, from the verb obscurare .