obesity 
condition or quality of being obese or corpu- 
lent ; corpulency; polysurciu adiposa. 
obesset, [Origin iiot clear.] A kind of game. 
I'lay ut obesse, at blllors, and at cards. 
Archatologia, XIV. 253. 
obez (o'beks), n. [L., < obiccre, objicfrr, throw 
before: see object, r.] 1. A barrier; hence, a 
preventive. 
Episcopacy [was| ordained as the remedy and ubex of 
schism. Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1S8S), II. 149. 
2. In anal., a thickening at the point of the 
calamiiH scriptorius in the membrane roofing 
the fourth ventricle. 
Obey (o-ba'), r. [< ME. olmji n, olicien, obhi-i/fn. 
obonen, < OP. obeir, F. obeir = Ii. <>bbrdin-(i-f. Sp. 
Pg. obeilccer,<. L. obaxlire, less prop, obedire, later 
L. also obaudire, ML. obedire, listen to, barken, 
usually ill extended sense, obey, be subject to, 
serve, < ob, before, near, + audire, hear: see 
audii'iit. From L. oboeilirc are also E. obi'dicnf, 
etc., obeisaitt, etc.] I. trans, 1. To comply 
with the wishes or commands of; submit to, 
as in duty bound; be subject to; serve with 
dutifulness. 
Ryst byfore Godez chayere, 
A the fowre bestez that hym aba, . . . 
HIT gouge they songen. 
Alliterative Poems (ed. Morris), 1. 885. 
Doubted of all wher by fors, were, or wit, 
Euery man obbeid hym lowly 
In all hys marches, where wrong or ryght were it. 
Kotn. of Partenay (E. E. T. 8.), L 5084. 
children, obey your parents in the Lord. Eph. vl 1. 
I cannot obey you, if you go to-morrow to Parsons-green ; 
your company, that place, and my promise are strong in- 
ducements. but an ague flouts them all. 
Donnt, Letters, cxxii. 
Can lie IGod] be as well pleased with him that aasas- 
stncs his 1'arents as with him that obrr/g them ? 
Stilliiigfleet, Sermons, III. U. 
Afric and India shall his power obey. 
Dryden, jEneid, vl. 10S2. 
2. To comply with; carry out; perform; exe- 
cute. 
Let me serve 
In heaven God ever bless'd, and his divine 
Behests obey, worthiest to be obeu'd. 
Milton, F. L., vl. 188. 
"Oh! cuss the cost !" says you. Doyou jist o&eyorders 
and break owners, that 's all you have to do. 
llaliburton, Sam Slick in England, xiii. 
"Go, man," he said, 
"And tell thy king his will shall be obeyed 
So far as this, that we will come to him." 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, II. 286. 
3. To submit to the power, control, or influ- 
ence of : as, a ship obeys her helm. 
His dissolute disease will scarce obey this medicine. 
Shalt., M. W. of W., lit 8. 204. 
Curling and whittling over all the waste, 
The rising waves obey t h' increasing blast. 
Cowper, Retirement, 1. 532. 
4f. To submit (one's self). 
Tl'ri is no kynge ne prince that may be to moche be- 
loved of his peple, ne he may not to moche obbeye hym- 
el/tor to haue thelre hertes. Merlin (E. E. T. S.\ i. 83. 
II. iiitrans. To yield or give up; submit to 
power, authority, control, or influence; do as 
bidden or directed : as, will you obey f Former- 
ly sometimes followed by to. 
And for to obeye to alle my reqnestes reasonable, zif tlu-i 
weren not gretly azen the Koyalle power and dignytee of 
the Soudan or of his Lawe. ilandecille, Travels, p. 82. 
So that a man maie sothely telle 
That all the worlde to gold obeieth. 
dower, Conf. Amant, v. 
Ere I learn love, I'll practice to obey. 
Shak., C. of E., II. L 29. 
Yet to their general's voice they soon obey'd. 
Milton, P. I_, L 137. 
A courage to endure and to obey. Tennyson, Isabel. 
obeyer (o-ba'er), n. One who obeys or yields 
obedience. 
That common by-word, divide et impera, . . . she con- 
demned, judging that the force of command consisted in 
the consent of obeiten. 
Holland, tr. of Camden, Elizabeth, an. 1565. 
It becomes a triumph of reason and freedom when self- 
directing obedience is thus paid to laws which the obeyer 
considers erroneous, yet knows to he the laws of the land. 
Sir K. Creany, Eng. Const., p. 324. 
obeyingly (o-ba'iug-li), adv. In an obedient 
manner; submissively. 
obeysancet, obeyset. See obeisance, obrix<-. 
obfirmatet (ob-fer'mat), v. t. [< L. obtirmiitii.i. 
pp. of objirmtirt; offn-m/ire, make firm, < ob, be- 
fore, + Jirmtire, make firm: see firm, r.] To 
make firm ; confirm in resolution. 
They do obfinnate and make obstinate their minds for 
the constant suHering of death. Sheldon, Miracles, p. 16. 
40r. :. 
obfirmationt (ob-fer-ma'shon), M. [< L. as if 
*<>bJirni<itio(M-'), < iibjiruiiire, make finn: see ob- 
Jirmiite.] Unyielding resolution ; obstinacy. 
All the nbfirmation and obstinacy of mind by which they 
had shut thuir eyes against that light . . . was to be re- 
scinded by repentance. Jer. Taylor, Kepentance, IL 2. 
obfirmedt (ob-fermd'), a. [As obftrm(ate) + 
-id'-.] Ob<lurate; confirmed. 
The one walks on securely and resolutely, as obfirmed in 
his wickedness. /;//. 'Hull. Satan's Fiery I > n i -. iii. 3. 
obfuscate (ob-fus'kat), r. t.; pret. and pp. obfua- 
i-nli-il, ]ppr. ii/ij'iisni/i/Kj. [Also offuscate; < LL. 
iilifiin<-iitH.i, pp. of objttscare, offuscare, darken, 
obscure, only in fig. use, vilify, < ob, to, 4- /*- 
rim, dark, brown: see fuscous. Cf. obfunque.] 
To darken; obscure; becloud; confuse; be- 
wilder ; muddle. 
The body works upon the mind by obfuscating the spirits. 
Burton, Anat. of HeL, p. 641. 
His head, like a smoke-jack, the funnel unswept, and 
the ideas whirling round and round about in it, all obfus- 
cated and darkened over with fuliginous matter. Sterne. 
Certain popular meetings, In which the burghers of New 
Amsterdam met to talk and smoke over the complicated 
affairs of the province, gradually obfuscating themselves 
with politics and tobacco-smoke. 
Irving, Knickerbocker, p. 238. 
And now, my good friends, I've a fine opportunity 
To obfuscate you all by sea terms with impunity. 
Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, L 305. 
obfuscate! (ob-fus'kat), a. [< LL. obfuscatus, 
pp.: see the verb.] Darkened; clouded; ob- 
scured; muddled. . 
The vertues, beynge in a cruell persone, be ... obfus- 
cate or hyd. Sir T. Elyot, The Governour, ii. 7. 
The daughters beautie is the mothers glory; light be- 
comes more obfuscate and darke in my hands, and in yours 
it doth atchieve the greater blaze. 
Benimuto, Passengers' Dialogues (1612). (tiara.) 
obfuscation (ob-fus-ka'shon), n. [Also offusca- 
tion; < LL. obfiiscatio(n-), a darkening, < obfus- 
care, darken : see obfuscate.] The act of obfus- 
cating or obscuring ; also, that which obscures ; 
obscurity; confusion. 
From thence comes care, sorrow, and anxiety, obfusca- 
tion of spirits, desperation, and the like. 
Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 202. 
Too often theologians, like mystics and cuttle-fish, es- 
cape pursuit by enveloping themselves in their self -raised 
obfutcatiom. J. Owen, Evenings with Skeptics, II. 142. 
obfusquet (ob-fusk'), v . t. [Also offusquc; < F. 
offtisquer, < LL. obfuscare, darken: see obfus- 
cate.] To obfuscate ; darken. 
A superfluous glare not only tires, but obfusques the in- 
tellectual sight. BoKngbrolte, Fragments of Essays, f 5. 
obi 1 (o'bi), n. [Also obea, obeah, oby; said to be 
of African origin.] 1. A species of magical art 
or sorcery practised by the negroes in Africa, 
and formerly prevalent among those living in 
the West Indies, where it was introduced by 
African slaves. Traces of the same or similar super- 
stitions and practices are still found both in the West lu- 
diesand in someof the southern United States. The charms 
used are bones, feathers, rags, and other trash, but it is 
upon a secret and skilful use of poison that the peculiar 
terror of the system is supposed to depend. The negroes 
have recourse to the obi for the cure of diseases, gratifica- 
tion of revenge, conciliation of enemies, discovery of theft, 
telling of fortunes, etc. 
Things suffer in general ; the slaves run away or are in- 
clined to be turbulent ; he [the bad head driver] and they 
cabal ; bad sugar is made ; and perhaps the horrid and 
abominable practice of Odea is carried on, dismembering 
and disabling one another ; even aiming at the existence 
of the white people. 
T. Roughley, Jamaica Planter's Guide (18-ii), p. 83. 
2. The fetish or charm upon which the power 
of the obi is supposed to depend. 
obi 2 (o'bi), n. [Jap.] A sash of some soft ma- 
terial, figured or embroidered in gay colors, 
worn by the women of Japan. It is a long strip of 
cloth about a foot wide, wound round the waist several 
times, and tied behind in a large bow, which varies in 
style according to the social condition of the wearer. 
They (the Japanese children] wore gay embroidered 
obix, or large sashes. . . . They are of great width, and 
are fastened tightly round the waist, while an enormous 
bow behind reaches from between the shoulders to far 
below the hips. Lady Brassey, Voyage of Sunbeam, II. xix. 
obiism (6'bi-izm), n. [< oW 1 + -ism.'] The 
practice of obi among negroes. See obi 1 . 
obi-man (6'bi-man), . A man who practises 
obi. Also obea-man, obe<ih-mu>i. 
obimbricate (ob-im'bri-kat), a. [< ob- + im- 
bricate.'] In hot., imbricated, or successively 
overlapping downward : noting an involucre in 
which the exterior scales are progressively 
longer than the interior ones. 
obispo (o-bis'po), H. [Sp., = E. bislin/i.] The 
bishop-ray, .-Ktobntia iinriimri. [Cuba.] 
obit (6'bit or ob'it), n. [Early mod. E. also obet; 
< ME. obite, obyte = OF. obit = Sp. 6bito = Pg. 
obi-woman 
It. oliitu, < L. obitus, a going to a place, ap- 
proach, usually a going down, setting (as of 
the sun), fall, ruin, death, < obire, go or come 
to, usually go down, set, fall, perish, die, < 
ob, toward, to, + ire, go: see iter 1 , etc. Cf. 
exit.] 1. Death; decease; the fact or time of 
death. 
Our lord lete her hauc knoulege of the daye of her obyte 
or departyng oute of this lyf. 
Caxton (1485\ quoted in N. and q., 6th ser., X. 394. 
Soon after was a flat black marble stone laid, with a 
little Inscription thereon, containing his jDurel's] name, 
title, and ubit, as also his age when he died, which was 58. 
Wood, Athenre Oxon., IL 736. 
2. A religious service for a person deceased, 
preceding the interment ; the office for the dead. 
These obeti once past o're, which we desire, 
Those eyes that now shed water shall speake fire. 
Ueywood, Iron Age, L 4. 
Obit Is a funeral solemnity, or office for the dead, most 
commonly performed at the funeral, when the corps lies 
in the church unintered. 
Termes de la Ley, quoted in Mason's Supp. to Johnson. 
3. The anniversary of a person's death, or a ser- 
vice or observance on the anniversary of his 
death (also called an annul, annual, or year's 
mind); more particularly, a memorial service 
on the anniversary of the death of the founder 
or benefactor of a church, college, or other in- 
stitution. In old writers also spelled obite, obytc. 
To the seid Curate, and kirke-wardeyns of the said kyrke 
for tyme beyng, for to be distributed in Almosse emonges 
pure folkes of the seid park-he- beyng atte seid yerely obite 
and Messe, thyrteyn pens. 
English Gilds (E. E. T. 8.), p. 145. 
To thee, renowned knyght, continual praise we owe, 
And at thy hallowed tomb thy yearly obiits show. 
Drayton, Polyolblon, xiii. 530. 
It seemed to Inglesant that he was present at the cele- 
bration of some "'///'-, or anniversary of the death of one 
long departed. J. H. Shorthouse, John Inglesant, t 
obitet, a. [ME. obite, < L. obitus, pp. of obire, 
depart, die : see obit, n.] Departed; dead. 
Thai saide that I schulde be obittf, 
To hell that I schulde entre in. 
York Plays, p. 388. 
obiter (ob'i-ter), adv. [L., prop, as two words, 
ob iter, on the way, by the way, in passing: ob. 
toward, on; iter, way, course, journey: seetteri.] 
In passing; by the way; by the by; inciden- 
tally. 
It may be permissible to remark, obiter, that "St." does 
not stand for "Santo" or "San," but for "Saint." 
JV. and Q., 7th ser., IV. 272. 
Obiter dictum (pi. obiter dicta), something said by the 
way or incidentally, and not as the result of deliberate judg- 
ment : a passing remark ; specifically, an incidental opin- 
ion given by a judge, in contradistinction from his judicial 
decision of the essential point. See dictum. 
Bis [Gray's] obiter dicta have the weight of wide reading 
and much reflection by a man of delicate apprehension 
and tenacious memory for principles. 
Lowell, New Princeton Rev., 1. 19. 
obit-songt (6'bit-sdng), . A funeral song; a 
dirge. 
They spice him sweetly, with salt tearcs among, 
And of sad sights they make their Obiit-song [read obit- 
Holy Roode, p. 27. (Daviet.) 
obitual (o-bit.'u-al), a. [< L. obitus, death (see 
obit), + -ai.J Oi or pertaining to an obit, or 
to the day when funeral solemnities are cele- 
brated. 
Edw. Wells, M. A., student of Ch. Ch., spoke a speech in 
praise of Dr. John Fell, being his obitual day. 
Liveof Leland, Bearne, and Wood, IL 388. 
obituarily (o-bit'u-a-ri-li), adv. In the manner 
of an obituary. " 
Obituarist (o-bit'u-a-rist), n. [< obituar-y + 
-<.] The recorder of a death; a writer of obit- 
uaries; a biographer. 
He [Mr. Patrick] It was who composed the whole peal 
of Stedman's triples, 5040 changes, which his obituarist 
says had till then been deemed impracticable. 
Southey, Doctor, xxxi. (Darifs.) 
obituary (o-bit'u-a-ri), a. and n. [= F. obit- 
uairc = Sp. Pg. obituario, < ML. obituaritis, < L. 
obitus, death: see obit.] I. a. Of or relating to 
the death of a person or persons: as, an obituary 
notice. 
II. . ; pi. obituaries (-riz). 1. A list of the 
dead; also, a register of obitual anniversary 
days, when service is performed for the dead. 
In religious houses they had a register wherein they en- 
tered the obits of obitual days of their founders or bene- 
factors, which was thence termed the obituary. 
G. Jacob, Law Diet. 
2. An account of persons deceased ; notice of 
the death of a person, often accompanied with a 
brief biographical sketch. 
obi-woman (6'bi-wum'an), n. A woman who 
practises obi. Also obea-woman, <i/>ili-ir,)ian. 
