obstupefaction 
pefy: see obstupefy.] Stupefaction. Hotcell, 
Dodona's Grove, p. 109. 
obstupefactivet (ob-stu' pe-f ak-tiv), a. [As 06- 
s1upcfact(iou) + -ive. Cf. stupefactive.] Stu- 
pefying. 
obstupefyt (ob-stu'pe-fi), v. t. [= It. ostupefare, 
< L. obntupefacere, astonish, amaze, stupefy, < 
06, before, + stupcfacere, stupefy : see stupefy.] 
To stupefy. 
Bodies more dull and obstvjnfying, to which they im- 
pute this loss of memory. 
Annotations on OlancHle, etc. (1682), p. 38. (Latham.) 
obtain (ob-tau'), r. [< ME. *obteinen (notfound), 
< OF. obtenir, F. obtenir = Sp. obten.er = Pg. ob- 
ter = It. ottenere, < L. obtincre, hold, keep, get, 
acquire, < ob, upon, + tenere, hold : see tenant. 
Cf. attain, contain, etc.] I. trims. 1. To get; 
procure; secure; acquire; gain: as, to obtain 
a month's leave of absence ; to obtain riches. 
It may be that I may obtain children by her. 
Gen. xvi. 2. 
Since his exile she hath despised me most, 
Forsworn my company and rail'd at me f 
That I am desperate of obtaining her. 
r Skat., T. G. of V., iii. 2. ft. 
r I come with resolution 
To obtain a suit of you. 
Beau, and Ft., Maid's Tragedy, iii. 2. 
The Duke of Somerset desired the Succession, but the 
Duke of York obtained it Baker, Chronicles, p. 185. 
2. To attain; reach; arrive at. [Obsolete or 
archaic.] 
Looking also for the arrival of the rest of his consorts ; 
whereof one, and the principal one, hath not long since 
obtained its port. Hatduyt (Arber's Eng. Garner, I. 459). 
As this is a thing of exceeding great difficulty, the end 
is seldom attained. Bacon, Physical Fables, iii., Expl. 
3. To attain or reach by endeavor; succeed 
in (reaching, receiving, or doing something) ; 
manage. 
And other thirtie obtained that the Sunne should stand 
still for them, as loshua. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 172. 
Mr. John Eliot . . . hath obtained to preach to them 
[Indians] ... in their own language. 
Winthrop, Hist. New. England, II. 362. 
I would obtain to be thought not so inferior as your 
selves are superior to the most of them who receiv'd their 
counsell. Hilton, Areopagitica, p. 4. 
Hence 4. To achieve; win. 
I might have obtained the cause I had in hand without 
casting such blemish upon others as I did. 
Winthrop, Hist. New England, II. 142. 
Echinades, made famous by that memorable Sea-battell 
there obtained against the Turk. Sandys, Travailes, p. 4. 
5f. To hold; keep; maintain possession of. 
His mother then is mortal, but his Sire 
He who obtains the monarchy of Heaven. 
Mitton, P. R., i. 87. 
= Syn. Attain, Obtain, Procure. See attain. 
II. intrans. 1. To secure what one desires 
or strives for ; prevail; succeed. 
Echo. Vouchsafe me, I may . . . sing some mounting 
strain 
Over his watery hearse. 
M or. Thou dost Main. B. Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, i. 1. 
Too credulous is the Confuter, if he thinke to obtaine 
with me or any right discerner. 
Milton, Apology for Smectymnuus. 
Less prosperously the second suit obtain'd 
At first with Psyche. Tennyson. Princess, vii. 
The simple heart that freely asks 
In love obtains. 
Whittier, Hermit of the Thebaid. 
2. To be common or customary ; prevail or be 
established in practice ; be in vogue ; hold good ; 
subsist; prevail: as, the custom still obtains in 
some country districts. 
It hath obtained in ages far removed from the first that 
charity is called righteousness. 
Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1885), 1. 17. 
Many other tongues were kindled from them, as we see 
how much this gift of tongues obtained in the Church of 
Corinth. StUUngfleet, Sermons, I. ix. 
The extremely severe climatical changes which obtain 
in northern Siberia. Bvxley, Crayfish, p. 322. 
Then others, following these my mightiest knights, . 
Sinn'd also, till the loathsome opposite 
Of an my heart had destined did obtain. 
Tennyson, Guinevere. 
of. To attain; come. 
If a man cannot obtain to that Judgment, then it is left 
to him generally to be close, and a dissembler. 
Bacon, Simulation and Dissimulation (ed. 1887). 
Sobriety hath by use obtained to signify temperance in 
drinking. j&. Taylor, Holy Living, it. 2. 
Obtainable (ob-ta'na-bl), a. [< obtain + -able.] 
Capable of being obtained, procured, or gained ; 
procurable: as, a dye obtainable from a plant. 
obtainer (ob-ta'ner), n. One who obtains. 
Johnson. 
obtainment (ob-tan'ment), . [< OF. obtene- 
ment, < obtenir, obtain:' see obtain and -.ment.] 
4068 
The act of obtaining, procuring, or getting; at- 
tainment. 
What is chiefly sought, the obtainment of love or quiet- 
ness? Milton, Colasterion. 
Placing a large proportion of the comforts and luxuries 
of life within our reach, and rendering the obtaimnent of 
knowledge comparatively easy among the great mass of 
the sons of toil. Gladstone. 
obtect (ob-tekf), . [< L. obtectuj, pp. of ob- 
tegere, cover over, < ob, over, + tegere, pp. tec- 
ins, cover. Cf. protect."] In entom., same as 
obtected. 
obtected (ob-tek'ted), a. [< obtect + -cd%.] 
1. Covered; protected; especially, in zoiil., cov- 
ered with a hard shelly case. 2. In entom., 
concealed under a neighboring part: specifi- 
cally said of the hemielytra of a heinipterous 
insect when they are covered by the greatly 
enlarged and shield-like scutellum, as in the 
family Scutelleridw : opposed to detected ob- 
tected. metamorphosis, a metamorphosis characterized 
by an obtected pupa. Obtected pupa, a pupa in which 
the legs and other organs are not free, the whole being 
inclosed with the body in a horny case, as in most Diptfra 
and Ijepidoptera. The older entomologists, following Fa- 
bricius, limited this term to pupae which have the organs 
outlined on the covering case, as in the Lepidoptera, cor- 
responding to the chrysalids or masked pupa? of later 
writers. Compare coarctate. See cut under Diptera. 
obtectovenose (ob-tek-to-ve'nos), a. [< L. ob- 
tectus, covered over (see 'obtect), + venosus, ve- 
nose : see renose.] In bot. , having the principal 
and longitudinal veins held together by simple 
cross-veins: said of leaves. Lindley. [Not in 
use.] 
Obtemper (ob-tem'per), r. t. [= F. obtemperer 
= Sp. obtemperar = It. ottemperare, < L. obtem- 
perare, comply with, obey, < ob, before, + tem- 
perare, observe measure, be moderate: see tem- 
per, e.J To obey; yield obedience to; specifi- 
cally, in Scots law, to obey or comply with (the 
judgment of a court): sometimes with to or unto. 
The feruent desire which I had to obtemper vnto your 
Majestie's commandement . . . encouraged mee. 
Hudson, tr. of Du Bartas's Judith (Ep. Ded.). (Davies.) 
obtemperatet (ob-tem'per-at), v. t. [< L. 06- 
temperatus, pp. of obtemperarc, obey: see 06- 
temper.] To obey; yield obedience to. Bailey, 
1731. 
obtendt (ob-tend'), r. t. [< L. obtendere, stretch 
or draw before, < ob, before, + tendrre, stretch : 
see tend.] 1. To oppose; hold out in opposi- 
tion. 
'Twas given to you your darling son to shrowd, 
To draw the dastard from the fighting crowd, 
And for a man obtend an empty cloud. 
Dryden, ^Eneid, x. 12B. 
2. To pretend; allege; plead as an excuse; 
offer as the reason of anything. 
Thou dost with lies the throne invade, 
Obtending Heaven for whate'er ills befal. 
Dryden, Iliad, i. 161. 
obtenebratet (ob-teu'e-brat), v. t. [< LL. ob- 
tenebratus, pp. of obtvn'ebrare, make dark, dark- 
en, < ob, before, + tenebrare, make dark, < tene- 
brce, darkness: see tenebras.] To make dark; 
darken . Minsheu. 
obtenebrationt (ob-ten-e-bra'shon), . [= It. 
ottencbrazione, < LL. obtenebratio(n-), < obtene- 
brare, make dark : see obtenebrate.] A darken- 
ing; the act of darkening; darkness. [Rare.] 
In every megrim or vertigo there Is an obtenebratfon 
joined with a semblance of turning round. 
Bacon, Nat. Hist. 
obtensiqnt (ob-teu'shon), . [<LL. obtentio(n-), 
a covering, veiling, obscurity, < L. obtendere, 
pp. obtfntus, a covering over: see obtend."] The 
act of obtending. Johnson. 
obtention (ob-ten'shon), n. [= F. obtention, 
OF. obtention = Sp. obtencion = Pg. obtenqSCo, 
< LL. as if *obtentio(n-), < L. obtinere, pp. 06- 
tenttis, hold, keep, get, acquire: see obtain."] 
Procurement; obtainment. [Rare.] 
There was no possibility of granting a pension to a for- 
eigner who resided in his own country while that coun- 
try was at open war with the land whence he aspired at 
its obtention : a word I make for my passing convenience 
Mine. D'ArUay, Diary, VII. 140. (Davits.) 
obtest (ob-tesf), . [< OF. obti'ster = Pg. ob- 
testar, < L. obtestari, call as a witness, < ob, be- 
fore, + testari, be a witness: see testament. 
Cf. attest, protest] I. trans. 1. To call upon 
earnestly; entreat; conjure. 
He lifts his wither'd arms, obteutt the skies ; 
He calls his much-loved son with feeble cries. 
Pope, Iliad, xxii. 45. 
2. To beg for ; supplicate. 
Obtest his clemency. Dryden, .Sneid, xl. 161. 
Wherein I have to crave (that nothing more hartily I 
can obtest than) your friendly acceptance of the same. 
Northbrooke, Dicing (1577). (Naret.) 
obtruncate 
II. intrans. To protest. [Rare.] 
We must not bid them good speed, but uliteat against 
them. Waterhouse, Apology, p. 210. 
obtestatet (ob-tes'tat), r. t. [< L. obtestatus, 
pp. of obtestari, call as a witness: see obtest.] 
To obtest. 
Dido herself, with sacred gifts in hands, 
One foot unbound, cloathes loose, at th' altar stands ; 
Readie to die, the gods she obtestates. 
Vicars, tr. of Virgil (1682). (Nans.) 
obtestation (ob-tes-ta'shon), H. [< L. obtesta- 
tio(n-), an adjuring, an entreaty, < obtestari, 
call to witness : see obtest."] If. The act of pro- 
testing; a protesting in earnest and solemn 
words, as by calling God to witness; protesta- 
tion. 
Whether it be by way of exclamation or crying out, ad- 
miration or wondering, imprecation or cursing, obtestation 
or taking God and the world to witnes, or any such like. 
Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 177. 
Antonio asserted this with greate obtfstation, nor know 
I what to think of it. Evelyn, Diary, Jan. 2, 1662. 
2. An earnest or pressing request ; a supplica- 
tion ; an entreaty. 
Our humblest petitions and obtestations at his feet. 
Miltmi, Articles of Peace with the Irish. 
obtortiont (ob-tor'shon), n. [< LL. obtortio(n-), 
a twisting, writhing, distortion, < L. obtorquere, 
pp. obtortits, twist, writhe, < ob. before, + tor- 
qttere, twist: see fort.] A twisting; a distor- 
tion. 
Whereupon have issued those strange obtortions of some 
particular prophecies to private interests. 
Bp. Hall, Works, VIII. 509. (Dames.) 
obtrectt (ob-trekf), . t. [< L. obtrectare, de- 
tract from, disparage, < ob, against, + tractare, 
draw: see treat. Cf. detract."] To slander; 
calumniate. 
Thou dost obtrect my flesh and blood. 
Miililtrtiiu and Rowley, Fair Quarrel, iv. 1. 
obtrectationt (ob-trek-ta'shon), H. [=OF. ob- 
t rectation = It. obtrettaeione, <! L. obtrectatio(n-), 
detraction, disparagement, < obtrectare, detract 
from, disparage : see obtrect."] Slander ; detrac- 
tion ; calumniation. 
When thou art returned to thy several distractions, that 
vanities shall pull thine eyes, and obtrectatian and libel- 
lous defamation of others shall pull thine ears, . . . then 
. . . compel thy heart ... to see God. 
Donne, Sermons, x. 
obtrectatort (ob'trek-ta-tor), n. [=OF. obtrec- 
tateur, < L. obtrectator, a detractor, < obtrectare, 
detract: see obtrect.] One who obtrects or ca- 
lumniates ; a slanderer. 
Some were of a very strict life, and a great deal more la- 
borious in their cure than their obtrectatarg. 
Bp. HnrM, Abp. Williams, 1. 95. (Davits.) 
obtriangular (ob-tri-ang'gu-liir), a. [< ob- + 
triangular.] In zoiil., triangular with the apex 
in reverse of the ordinary or usual position. 
obtrition (ob-trish'on), n. [< LL. obtritio(n-), 
contrition, < L. obterere, pp. obtritns, bruise, 
crush, < ob, against, + terere, rub: see trite.] 
A breaking or bruising ; a wearing away by fric- 
tion. Maunder. 
obtrude (ob-trod'), v.; pret. and pp. obtruded, 
ppr. obtritdinf/. [< L. obtrudere, thrust or press 
upon, thrust into, < ob, before, + trttdere, thrust. 
Cf. extrude, intrude, protrude.] I. trans. To 
thrust prominently forward; especially, to 
thrust forward with undue prominence or im- 
portunity, or without solicitation; force for. 
ward or upon any one : often reflexive : as, to 
obtrude one's self or one's opinions upon a per- 
son's notice. 
The thing they shun doth follow them, truth as it were 
even obtrudiny itself into their knowledge, and not per- 
mitting them to be so ignorant as they would be. 
Hooker, Eccles. Polity, v. 2. 
No maruell if he [PostellusJ obtrude vpon credulitie such 
dreames as that India should bee so called, or Mumlia, as 
being ludffia orientalis. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 462. 
Was it not he who upon the English obtruded new Cere- 
monies, upon theScota a new Liturgie? 
Milton, Eikonokliistes, xiii. 
I tired of the same black teasing lie 
Obtruded thus at every turn. 
Brmtming, Ring and Book, I. 286. 
= Syn, Intrude, Obtrude. See intrude. 
fl. intrans. To be thrust or to thrust one's 
self prominently into notice, especially in an 
unwelcome manner; intrude, 
obtruder (ob-tro'der), n. One who obtrudes. 
Do justice to the inventors or publishers of true experi- 
ments, as well as upon the obtruders of false ones. Boyle. 
Obtruncate (ob-trung'kat), r. t. ; pret. and pp. 
obtruncated, ppr. obtruncating. [< L. obtrnnca- 
tus, pp. of obtruncare, cut off, lop away, trim, 
prune, < ob, before, + truncare, cut off: see 
