oblivion 
ObHmuumutt. Oblioion is the state Into which a thing oblong-lanceolate (ob'loug-lau'He-o-lat ). ". In 
passes when it Is thoroughly and dually forgotten. The n/lt j ns/ having a shape between oblong and 
use of Minim for the act of forgetting wan an innovation j aIR . eo i a t e _ 
"" STmncVln' "lie oblongly (ob'16ng-li), adv. In an oblong form : 
as. uliloni/ly sha]>ed. 
oblong-ovate (ob'l&ng-o'vat). . In nut. hint., 
theactVTf'a' wTsmr'as^be^uYied'in having a shape between oblong and ovate. 
Arw(*iiM. M OMMMIIitM> stand's for a sort of negative oblOQUiOUS (ob-16'kwi-us), a. [< LL. obloqu i H n, . 
act, a complete failure to remember : as, a person's obtiv- contradiction (see obloquy), + -OHK.} Partaking 
iouwu-jM of the proprieties of an occasion, 
oblivionizet (ob-liv'i-on-iz), r. t. [< oblivion 
lenseuf official or formal pardon. ftoyit/WiMltuaQiul- 
ity of a person : as, a man remarkable for his /..r.i.-l/ii/;irx 
[Kan-.] 
-i;t.} To commit to oblivion; discard from 
memory; forget. 
I will dbliftonia my love to the Welsh widow, and do 
here proclaim my dellnquishment. 
Chettle, Dfkker, unit UauyMon, Patient (irissel (Shak. s. ., . i 
I am perpetually preparing myself for perceiving his 
thoughts about me oblieiftnixed. 
Mine. D'ArUay, Diary, V. 129. (Daviet.) 
oblivious (qb-liv'i-us). a. [= It. obliriosn, < L. 
iililii'ionuii, forgetful, oblivious, (. oblivio(n-), for- 
getfulness: see oblirion.} 1. Forgetful; dis- 
posed to forget. 
'Gainst death and all-oWiuioiui enmity 
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room 
Even in the eyes of all posterity. Shak., Sonnets, Iv. 
I was hal f-WiVi'"iw of my mask. Tetmyton, Princess, ill. 
2. Causing forgetfulness. 
With some sweet obliviout antidote 
Cleanse the stnff'd bosom of that perilous stuff 
Which weighs upon the heart. 
Shak., Macbeth, v. 8. 43. 
Wherefore let we then our faithful friends. 
The associates and copartners of our loss, 
Lie thus astonish d on the obliriout pool ? 
MOton, P. L., I. 2B. 
Through the long night she lay In deep, obtinout slumber. 
Longfellow, Evangellne, 1. 5. 
Obliviously (ob-liv'i-us-li), adv. In an oblivi- 
ous manner; forgetfully. 
obliviousness (ob-liv'i-us-nes), w. The state 
of being oblivious or forgetful; forgetfulness. 
= 8yn. Fargetfidneit, ete. See Minion. 
oblocatet (ob'lo-kat), v. t. [< IjL.oblocatus, 
of obloquy ; contumelious ; abusive. 
r.niulations, which are apt to rise and vent In 
acrimony. Sir II. Xaunton, Fragmenta Regalia. 
Obloquy (ob'16-kwi), . [< LL. obloqui mn. con- 
tradiction (ML. calumny t), < L. obloqui, speak 
against, contradict, blame, condemn, rail at. < 
nli. against, + loqui, speak: see locution.} 1. 
Contumelious or abusive language addressed 
to or aimed at another ; calumny ; abuse ; re- 
viling. 
The rest of his discours quite forgeU the Title, and turns 
his Meditations upon death Into obtoquie and bitter vehe. 
nienee against Judges Htid Accusers. 
Milton, Elkonoklastea, xxvilL 
Heroic virtue itself has not been exempt from the oblo- 
quy of evil tongues. Swtft, Tale of a Tub, ill. 
2. That which causes reproach or detraction ; 
an act or a condition which occasions abuse or 
reviling. 
My chastity 's the Jewel of our house, . . . 
Which were the greatest obloquy i' the world 
In me to lose. Shak., All's Well, iv. 2. 44. 
3. The state of one stigmatized ; odium ; dis- 
grace; shame; infamy. 
From the great obloquy in which hee was soo late before, 
hee was sodainelye fallen In soo greate tniste. 
Sir T. More, Works, p. 44. 
And when his long public life, so singularly chequered 
with good and evil, with glory aud obloquy, had at length 
closed forever, it was to Uaylesford that he retired to die. 
Macaulay, Warren Hastings. 
= Syn. Opprobrium, Infamy, etc. (see ignominy) ; censure, 
blame, detraction, calumny, aspersion ; scandal, slander, 
defamation, dishonor, disgrace. 
iblocatet (ob'lo-kat), v. t. [< LL. oft/oca tus, pp. obluctation (ob-luk-ta'shon), w, [< LL. obluc- 
of oblocare, let out for hire, < L. ob, before, + lo- tatio(n-\ a struggling against, < L. obluctari, 
care, place, let : seeZocnte.] To let out to hire, struggle against, contend with, < 06, against, + 
Bailey, 1731. 
oblocutiont (ob-lo-ku'shon), . [< OP. oblocu- 
tion, < LL. obloctitio(n-), obloquutio(ii-), contra- 
diction^ L. obloqui, contradict: see obloquy.} 
Detraction; obloquy. Bailey, 1731. 
oblocutort (ob-lok'u-tor), n. [< L. oblocutor, 
luctafi, struggle: see lactation.} A struggling 
or striving against something; resistance. 
[Rare.] 
He hath not the command of himself to use that artin- 
cial obluctation and facing out of the matter which he doth 
at other times. Fotherby, Atheomastix, p. 125. 
obloquutor, a contradiction, < obloqui, contra- obmurmuringt,"- [Verbal n. of *o6iMrmr,< L. 
diet: see obloquy.} A gaiusayer; a detractor, obmurmurare, murmur against, < ob, against, + 
Bn, Bale. murmurare, murmur: see murmur.} Murmur- 
oblong (ob'ldng), n. and n. [= F. oblong = Sp. jng; objection. 
Pg. It. oblongo, < L. oblongus, rather long, rela- TnuBj mau gr e all th' obmurmuringt of sense, 
tively long (not in the def . geometrical sense, We have found an essence incorporeal!, 
but applied to a shaft of a spear, a leaf, a shield, ! U. More, Psychathanasia, II. ii. 10. 
a figure, hole, etc.; prob. lit. 'long forward,' obmutescencet (ob-mu-tes'ens), n. [< L. obmit- 
projecting), < ob, before, near, + longim, long.] ttscere, become dumb, be 'silent, < ob, before, 
1. a. Elongated ; having one principal axis con- + (LL.) mutescere, grow dumb, < mutus, dumb : 
siderably longer than the others. Specifically (o) see mute 1 .'} A keeping silence ; loss of speech ; 
dumbness. 
But a vehement fear naturally produceth obmutetcenee ; 
and sometimes irrecoverable silence. 
Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., ill. 8. 
The obmutetcenee, the gloom, and mortification of reli- 
gious orders. faley, Evidences, it 2. 
obnixelyt, adr. [< "obnixe (< L. obnirux. 
In geom., "having the length greater than the breadth, 
and the sides parallel and the angles right angles. <M 
Having its greatest dimension horizontal : said of a paint- 
ing, engraving, or the like : opposed to upright, (c) Having 
, , 
the width of its page greater than the height: said of a book : 
aa, an oblong octavo, (d) In zool. , having four straight 
aides, the opposite ones parallel and equal, 
but two of the sides longer than the other 
two ; the angles may he sharp or rounded. 
(e) In , i, I' in., more than twice as long as 
broad, and with the ends variable or round 
ed: applied to insects or parts which are 
rallel-sided. (/) ' 
times longer than b 
pa 
(/) In bat., two or three 
in broad, and with nearly 
parallel sides, as in many leaves. Oblong 
cord, the medulla oblongata. Oblong 
spheroid, a prolate spheroid. 
II. it. A figure of which the length 
is greater than the breadth ; speci- 
fically, in geom., a rectangle whose length ex- 
ceeds its breadth. 
The best figure of a garden 
l descent. 
. . I esteem an oblong upon 
Sir W. Temple, Gardening. 
oblonga (ob-long'gii), . Same as oblongata. 
oblongal (ob-long'gal), a. Same as obloiigatal. 
oblongata (ob-long-ga'tS), . [NL., < L. 06- 
loiigux, rather long: see oblong."] The medulla 
oblongata. 
Softening of the . . . oblonaata was also decided. 
Medical .\Vi, 1.11. 430. 
oblongatal (ob-long-ga'tal), a. [< NL. oblon- 
</<ita + -ill.} Of or pertaining to the medulla 
oblongata; macromyelonal ; myeleneephalic. 
Funiculus gracilis, the oblongatal continuation of the 
myelic dorsomeaal . . . column. 
Bucks Handbook of lied. Scieneet, VIII. 1-24. 
oblong-ellipsoid (ob*16ng-e-lip'soid), a. In 
iitit. hist., having a shape between oblong and 
elliptical. 
KM*, steadfast, firm, resolute, whence obiiijrum, 
obnixe, adv., resolutely, strenuously, pp. of ob- 
niti, strive against, resist, <o6, against, + tiiti, 
strive : see nisus) + -ty 2 .] Earnestly; strenu- 
ously. 
Most obnixely I must beseach both them and yon. 
E. Codrington, To Sir E. Dering, May 24, 1641. (Damet.) 
obnoxious (ob-nok'shus), ii. [= Sp. Pg. olt- 
nii.i-in,< li.obuojriuti, subject or liable (to punish- 
ment or to guilt), subject, submissive, exposed, 
exposed to danger, weak, etc., < ob, against, + 
iidj-ti, hurt, harm, injury, punishment, > noxius. 
hurtful: see noxious.} 1. Liable; subject; ex- 
posed, as to barm, injury, or punishment : gen- 
erally with to: as, obnoxioux to blame or to 
criticism. 
But If her dignity came by favour of some Prince, she 
(the church] was from that time his creature, aud obtuuc- 
iota to comply with his ends in state, were they right ur 
wrong. Milton, Church-Government, i. ti. 
A man's hand. 
Being his executing part in flgbt. 
Is more obnojnons to the common peril. 
/;. Jonton, Magnetick Lady, ill. 4. 
He could not accuse his master of any word or private 
action that might render him obnoxiottt to suspicion or the 
law. Jrr. Taylor, Works (ed. 1835), I. 818. 
So obtioxiout are we t<> manifold necessities. 
Barrmr, Works, 1. -MX!. 
Men In public tiust will much oftener act in such a 
manner as to render them unworthy of being any longer 
obol 
trusted than in such a manner an to make them obitadoiu 
to legal punishment. 
A. Jlaualtun, The Federalist, No. Ixx. 
2f. Justly liable to punishment ; hence, guilty: 
reprehensible : censurable. 
What shall we then say of the in.wer of God himself to 
dispose of men : little, finite, ubivu&iu* things of his own 
making .' South, Sermons, V I II. S15. 
3. offensive; odious; hateful. 
"Pis fit I should give an account of an action so seem- 
ingly obnoxiout. Glanville, Seep. Sci. 
More corrupted else, 
And therefore more obnoxiina, at this hour, 
Than Sodom In her day had power to be. 
Covper. Task, 111. 846. 
4. In lair, vulnerable; amenable: with to: us. 
an indefinite allegation in pleading is obnorioim 
to a motion, but not generally to a demurrer. 
obnoxiously (ob-nok'shun-lij, <idv. In an ob- 
noxious manner; reprehensibly ; offensively; 
odiously. 
obnoxiousness (qb-nok'shus-nes), . The state 
of being obnoxious ; liability or exposure,' as 
to blame, injury, or punishment; reprehensi- 
bleness ; offensiveness ; hence, unpopularity, 
obnubilate (ob-nu'bi-lat), , v. t.; pret. and pp. 
obnubilated, ppr. obnubilating. [< LL. obnubitu- 
tus, pp. of obuuMlare, cover with clouds, cloud 
over, <L. ob, before, over, + nubilus, cloudy: see 
iiubilous.} To cloud or overcloud; obscure; 
darken. [Rare.] 
Your sly deceits dissimulation hides, 
Your false intent faire wordes obnubilate. 
Timet' Whittle (E. E. T. &X p. 1S6. 
As a black and thick cloud covers the sun. and inter- 
cepU his beams and lights, so doth this melancholy vapour 
obnubilate the mind. Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 249. 
obnubilation (ob-nu-bi-la'shqn), M. [< OF. o5- 
Hubilation,< LL. as if *obnubilatio(n-), < obnu- 
bilare, cloud: see obnubilate.} 1. The act or 
operation of obnubilating, or making dark or 
obscure. [Rare.] 
Let others glory in their triumphs and trophies, In their 
obnubilation of bodies coruscant, that they have brought 
fear upon champions. Waterhouse, Apology for Learning. 
2. A beclouded or obscured state or condition. 
Twelfth month, 17. An hypochondriack i&wioilatioii 
from wind and indigestion. 
.'. llutt.'i, In Boswell's Johnson (ed. Fitzgerald), II. 217. 
Special vividness of fancy images, accompanied often 
with dreamy obnubilation. Amer. Jour. Ptychol., I. 519. 
oboe (6'bo-e), n. [= Sp. Pg. oboe = G. oboe = 
Sw. oboe '= Dan. 060 (cf. D. hobo, G. hoboe, E. 
hoboe, hoboy, directly from the F.), < It. oboe, < 
F. hautbois, hautboy: see hautboy.} 1. An im- 
portant musical instrument of the wood wind 
group, and the type of the family in which the 
tone is produced by a double reed. In its modern 
form it consists of a wooden tube of conical bore, made of 
three Joints, the lowest of which is slightly 
flaring or belled, while the uppermost carries 
In its end the metal staple with IU reeds of 
cane. The number of finger-holes varies con- 
siderably; In the larger varieties they are 
principally controlled by an intricate system 
of levers. The extreme compass is nearly 
three octaves, upward from the Bp or HI next 
below middle C, Including all the semitones. 
The tone is small, but highly individual and 
penetrating: it is especially useful for pastoral 
effects, for plaintive and wailing phrases, and 
for giving a reedy quality to concerted pas- 
sage*. The normal key (tonality) of the or- 
chestral oboe Is C, and music for it is written 
with the O clef. The oboe has borne various 
names, such as chalumeav, tchalmey, thatcm, 
bombardo piccolo, hautboy, etc. It has been a 
regular constituent of the modern orchestra 
since early in the eighteenth century, and is 
the instrument usually chosen to give the 
pitch to others. It has also been used to some 
extent as a solo instrument. The oboe family 
of instruments Includes the oboe d'amour, the 
oboe da caccla or tenoroon, the English horn, 
and the bassoon. 
2. In organ-building, a reed-stop with 
metal pipes which give a penetrating 
and usually very effective oboe-like 
tone. It is usually placed in the swell 
organ. Oboe d'amour, an obsolete alto 
oboe, much used by J. S. Bach. It differed from 
the modern oboe in being of lower pitch (the o\xx. 
normal key being A), and in having a globular 
bell and thus a more somber and muffled tone. Oboe da 
caccla., an obsolete tenor oboe, or rather tenor bassoon. 
Its normal key was F. The tone was similar to that of the 
bassoon, but lighter. Also called tenoroon and fagottino. 
Oboist <6'bo-ist), ii. [< oboe + -i*f.] A player 
on the oboe. Also hautboyist. 
obol (ob'ol), w. [=P. obole= Sp. Pg. It. obolo, < 
.>-'*, ,^~~5L~ '' .bluft, < Gr. o/loUe, a 
I 
small coin, a certain weight : 
see obolus.} An ancient 
Greek silver coin, in value 
and also in weight the sixth 
part of the drachma. The 
