obtruncate 
truncate.] To cut or lop off ; deprive of a limb; 
lop. 
biw obtrttncatfd pyramids. Kncyc. Brit., XII. 823. 
obtruncate (ob-tning'kat), a. [< L. obtritHi-a- 
tnx. pp.: see the verb.] Lopped or cut off 
short ; truncated. 
'['hose props on which the knees obtruncate stand. 
London Cries (1806). 
obtruncation (ob-trung-ka'shon), . [< L. ol>- 
lritnc(itio(n-), n cutting off. pruning, < obtnni- 
i-nrr, cut oft: see obtruncate.] The act of ob- 
truncating, or of lopping or cutting off. 
obtruncator (ob'tning-ka-tor), . [< obtrun- 
cate + -rl.] One who cuts off. [Bare.] 
The English KINK, Hefendcr of the Faith ami "lilrunca- 
tor of conjugal heads, gave monasteries and convents to 
his counsellors and courtiers. 
Athfiueum, No. 3239, p. 707. 
obtrusion (ob-tr<J'zlion), H. [< LL. obtrusio(n~), 
athrustingin, <.1i.obirudere, pp. obtrusus, thrust 
in: nee obtrude.] The act of obtruding ; an un- 
due and unsolicited thrusting forward of some- 
thing upon the notice or attention of others, or 
that which is obtruded or thrust forward : as, 
the obtrusion of crude opinions on the world. 
He never reckons those violent and merciless obtrusions 
whieh for almost twenty yeares he had bin forcing upon 
tender consciences by all sorts of Persecution. 
Milton, Eikonoklastcs, xi. 
obtrusionist (ob-tro'zhon-ist), n. [< obtrusion 
+ -int.] One who obtrudes ; a person of obtru- 
sive manners ; one who favors obtrusion, 
obtrusive (ob-tro'siv), a. [< L. obtrudere, pp. 
obtrtums, thrust in, + -ive.] Disposed to ob- 
trude; given to thrusting one's self or one's 
opinions upon the company or notice of others ; 
forward (applied to persons) ; unduly promi- 
nent (applied to things). 
tier virtue, and the conscience of her worth, 
That would be woo'd, and not unsought be won, 
Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retired. 
Milton, P. L., vlli. 504. 
Too soon will show, like nests on wintry troughs, 
Obtrusive emptiness. Lowell, Parting of the Ways. 
obtrusively (ob-tro'siv-li), adv. In an obtru- 
sive manner; forwardly ; with undue or unwel- 
come prominence. 
obtrusiveness (ob-trS'siv-nes), n. The state or 
character of being obtrusive. 
obtund (ob-tuud' ), v. t. [< L. obtundere, strike 
at or upon, beat, blunt, dull, < ob, upon, + 
tnndere, strike. Cf. contund.] To dull ; blunt ; 
quell; deaden; reduce the pungency or violent 
action of anything. 
They [John-a-Nokes and John-a-Stilesl were the greatest 
wranglers that ever lived, and have filled all our law-books 
with the obtunding story of their suits and trials. 
Stilton, Colasterion. 
Avlcen countermands letting blood in choleric bodies, 
because he esteems the blood a bridle of gall, obtiindiny 
its acrimony and fierceness. Harvey, Consumptions. 
If heavy, slow blows be given, an obtitndinff effect will 
probably Bet In at once. 
Buck's Handbook of Med. Sciences, IV. 657. 
obtundent (ob-tun'dent), a. and . [< L. 06- 
tun<len(t-)s, ppr. of obtundere, blunt, dull: see 
nhtitiid.] I. a. Dulling; blunting. 
II. . 1. A mucilaginous, oily, bland sub- 
stance employed to protect parts from irrita- 
tion: nearly the same as demulcent. 2. In den- 
ti.-ilry, a medicine used to blunt or deaden'the 
nerves of a tooth. 
obtundity (ob-tun'di-ti), n. [Irreg. <obtiui<l. r.. 
+ -ity.] The state (if being dulled or blunted, 
as the sensibility of a nerve. Med. Jfeics, XLIX. 
234. 
obturate (ob'tu-rat), r. t. ; pret. and pp. obtu- 
rated, ppr. obturating. [< L. obturatus, pp. of 
obturare (> It. otturare = Sp. obturar = OF. 06- 
tnrrr), stop up, close, < 06, before, + "turare 
(not found in the simple form).] To occlude, 
stop, or shut; effect obturation in. 
obturating (ob'tu-ra-ting), p. a. That stops or 
plugs up ; used in closing or stopping up : spe- 
cifically applied to a primer for exploding the 
charge of powder in a cannon, and at the same 
time closing the vent, thus preventing the rush 
of gas through it in firing. 
4000 
Some are deaf by an outw;tjil nlittirntion, \\hrthrr by the 
prejudice of the Teacher or by secular occasions and dis- 
tractions A'/-. Hull. l>eaf and Dumb Man Cured. 
2. Specifically, in gun., the act of closing a 
hole, joint, or cavity so as to prevent the ll<>w 
of gas through it: us, th* niiinriiiiiiu of a vent, 
or of a powder-chamber. See fcrmeture, gax- 
obturator. 
The rapid deterioration of the vent* of heavy guns in 
tiling the large charges now in vogue rentiers it indispen- 
sable that some vent-sealing device !'< employed to prevent 
the rush of gas through the vent. The most convenient 
\v:iy of etteetinir tliis <.i>tin'<tti"n of the vent is through the 
action of the primer by which the piece is flred. 
Gen. S. V. Benet, In Rep. of Chief of Ordnance, 1884, p. 18. 
. 
Three forms of an obturating primer have been manu- 
factured recently at the Frankfort Arsenal. . . . Two of 
these primers ... are closely allied to the Krupp oW- 
ratiny friction primer ; the third is an electric primer. 
Gen. S. V. BenSt, in Rep. of Chief of Ordnance, 1884, p. 18. 
obturation (ob-tu-ra'shon), w. [= Sp. obtitra- 
i-inii. < LL. *obtur<itto(n-'), < L. obtitrare, stop up, 
close: sec obturate.] 1. The act of closing or 
stopping up, or the state or condition of being 
obstructed or closed. 
256 
obturator (ob'tu-ra-tor), . [NL., < L. 
rare , stop up : see obturate.] That which closes 
or stops up an entrance, cavity, or the like. 
Specifically (a) In zool. and anat., that which obturates, 
closes, shuts, or stops up ; a part or organ that occludes a 
cavity or passage: specifically applied to several struc- 
tures : see phrases below, (o) Milit.. a device for pre- 
venting the flow of gas through a joint or bole ; a gas- 
check; any contrivance for sealing the vent or chamber 
of a cannon and preventing the escape of gas In thing, such 
as an obturating primer, a Broadwell ring, a Freire obtu- 
rator, a De Bange obturator, or an Armstrong gas-check. 
See gas-check, fermeture, and cut under cannon, (c) In 
ntri/'., an artificial plate for closing an abnormal opening, 
as that used in cleft palate. Obturator artery, usually 
a branch of the internal Iliac, which passes through the ob- 
turator foramen to escape from the pelvic cavity. It some- 
times arises from the epigastric, and the variations In its 
origin and course are of great surgical interest in relation 
to femoral hernia. Obturator canal. See ca nal 1 . Ob- 
turator externus, a muscle arising from the obturator 
membrane and adjacent bones, upon the outer surface 
of the pelvis, and Inserted into the digital fossa of the tro- 
chanter major of the femur. It Is very constant in verte- 
brates, even down to batrachians. Obturator fascia. 
8ee/<Moa. Obturator foramen. See foramen, and cuts 
under innominatmn, inanntjrial, and sacrarium. Obtu- 
rator hernia, hernia through the obturator foramen. 
Obturator Intemus, a muscle which arises from the 
obturator membrane and adjacent bones on the Inner 
surface of the pelvis, and winds around the ischlum to be 
Inserted into the trochanter major of the femur. It Is In 
some animals wholly external, constituting a second ob- 
turator externus. The obturator muscles form part of ft 
set of six muscles, known in human anatomy as rotatores 
femoris from their action upon the thigh-bone, which 
they rotate outward upon its axis. Obturator liga- 
ment, the obturator membrane. Obturator mem- 
brane. See membrane. Obturator nerve, a branch of 
the lumbar plexus, arising from the third and fourth lum- 
bar nerves, and distributed principally to the hip- and knee- 
joints and to the adductor muscles of the thigh. Ob- 
turator tertius, the third obturator muscle of some 
animals, as the hyrax, arising from the inner surface of the 
ischium, and passing through the obturator foramen to the 
trochanteric fossa of the femur. Obturator vein, a tribu- 
tary to the internal iliac vein, accompanying the artery. 
obturbinate (ob-ter'bi-nat), a. [< ob- + turbi- 
nate.] Having the shape of a top with the peg 
up : said of parts of plants. 
obtusangular (ob-tus'ang''gu-lSr), a. [< obtuse 
+ angular.] Same as obtuse-angular. Kirby. 
obtuse (ob-tus'), a. [= F. obtus = Sp. Pg. obtuso 
= It. ottuso, < L. obtusus, blunted, blunt, dull, pp. 
of obtundere, blunt, dull : see obtund.] 1 . Blunt ; 
not acute or pointed : applied to an angle, it de- 
notes one that is larger than a right angle, or 
of more than 90. See cuts under angle*. 
See then the quiver broken and decay'd 
In which are kept our arrows ! . . . 
Their points obtuse, and feathers drunk with wine. 
Cowper, Task, ii. 808. 
2. In bot., blunt, or rounded at the extremity: 
as, an obtuse leaf, sepal, or petal. 
3. Dull; lacking in acuteness of sen- 
sibility; stupid: as, he is very 06- 
tuse; his perceptions are obtuse. 
Thy senses then, 
Obtuse, all taste of pleasure must forego. 
Milton, P. L, xl. 541. 
4. Not shrill ; obscure ; dull : as, an 
obtuse sound. Johnson Obtuse bi- 
sectrix. See bisectrix, 1. Obtuse cone, of* 
a cone whose angle at the vertex by a section tusi/olinj. 
throughtheaxlsis obtuse. Obtuse hyper- 
bola. See hyperbola. Obtuse mucronate leaf, a leaf 
which Is blunt, but terminates in a mucronate point. 
obtuse-angled (ob-tus'ang'gld), a. Having an 
obtuse angle : as, an obtuse-angled triangle. 
Obtuse-angular (ob-tus'ang'gii-lar), a. Having 
or forming an obtuse angle or angles. 
obtuse-ellipsoid (ob-tus'e-lip''soid), a. In hot., 
ellipsoid with an obtuse or rounded extremity. 
obtusely (ob-tus'li), adv. In an obtuse man- 
ner; not acutely; bluntly; dully; stupidly: as, 
obtusely pointed. 
obtuseness (ob-tus'nes), . The state of being 
obtuse, in any sense. 
obtusifolious(ob-tu-si-fo'li-us),a. [<L. obtuxu.-: 
blunted, + folium, leaf.] In hot., possessing 
or characterized by leaves which are obtuse or 
blunt at the end. 
obtusilingual (ob-tu-si-ling'gwal), a. [< L. 06- 
tu.--ns, blunted, + lingua, tongue: see lingual.] 
ObtuM Leaf 
obverse 
Having .hoi-i laliiuin, as a bee; specifically, 
of or iiertainiiifr to the OHufMMMf. 
ObtU8llingues(ob-tii-Hi-liiig'gwez), n.)>l. [NL., 
< L. obtunuji, blunted, + Innjnn. tongue.] A divi- 
sion of .linlmiiilir. including those solitary be es 
whose labium is short and obtuse at the end : 
distinguished from AcutUingnes. See cuts un- 
der .tiitho/ilmm and car/n-iiti r-bee, 
obtusilobous (ob-tu-si-16'bus), a. [< L. obtuxtm. 
blunted, + Nli. lobus, a lobe : see lube.] In liul. , 
possessing or characterized by leaves with ob- 
tuse lobes. 
obtusiont (ob-tu'zhon), H. [< LL. obtusio(n-), 
bluntness, dullness, "< 1.. i>ht mult-re, pp. obtuxu.*. 
blunt: see uliliiml, nbtnxr.\ 1. The act of mak- 
ing obtuso or blunt. 2. The state of being 
dulled or blunted. 
Obtwrion of the senses, internal and external. Harvey. 
obtusity (ob-tu'si-ti), . [< OF. obtusite = It. 
ottusita, < ML. o6tusita(t-)s, obtuseness, stupid- 
ity, < L. obtusux, obtuse : see obtuse.] Obtuse- 
ness; dullness: as, oblusity of the ear. [Rare.] 
The dodo, ... It would seem, was given Its name, prob- 
ably by the Dutch, on account of its well-known obturitif. 
A. 8. Palmer, Word-Hunter's Note-Book, v. 
obumbrant (ob-um'brant), a. [< L. obum- 
bran(t-)s, ppr. of obumbrare, overthrow : see 06- 
umbrate.] In entom., overhanging; projecting 
over another part : specifically applied to the 
scutellum when it projects backward over the 
metathorax, as in many Diptera. 
obumbrate (ob-um'brat), v. t. ; pret. and pp. 
obumbrated, ppr. obuinbrating. [< L. obumbra- 
tus, pp. of obumbrare (> It. obumbrare, obbum- 
brare, obombrare = Pg. obvmbrar = It. obum- 
brare = F. obombrer, OF. obombrer, obumbrer), 
overshadow, shade, < ob, over, + umbrarr, 
shadow, shade, < umbra, shade: see umbra. Cf. 
adumbrate.'] To overshadow ; shade; darken; 
cloud. Hotcell, Dodona's Grove. 
A transient gleam of sunshine which was suddenly 06- 
mnbrated. Smollett, Ferdinand, Count Fathom, xliv. 
obumbrate (ob-um'brat), a. [< L. obumbralus, 
pp. of obumbrare, overshadow, shade : see obum- 
brate, v.] In zool., lying under a projecting 
part : specifically said of the abdomen when it 
is concealed under the posterior thoracic seg- 
ments, as in certain Arachnida. Kirby. 
obumbrationt (ob-um-bra'ghon), n. [=F. ob- 
ombration = It. obumbrasione, obbumbrazione, < 
IjL.obumbratio(n-),<.lj. obumbrare, overshadow: 
see obumbrate.] The act of darkening or ob- 
scuring; shade. Sir T. More, Works, p. 1068. 
And ther is hoote is occupation 
The fervent yre of Phebas to declyne 
With obumbracion, If so benygne 
And longly be the vyne, Is not to weme. 
Palladiui, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.\ p. 171. 
obumbret, t. [ME. obumbren, < OF. obumbrer, 
obombrer, < L. obumbrare, overshadow: see 06- 
umbrate.] To overshadow. 
Cloddes wol thalre germlnacion 
Obumbre from the colde and wol defende. 
Palladius, Uusbondrle (E. E. T. S.X p. 207. 
obuncoust (ob-ung'kus), a. [< L. obuncus, bent 
in, hooked, < ob, against, + uncus, bent in, hook- 
ed, curved.] Very crooked; hooked. 
obvallate (ob-val'at), a. [< L. obvallatus, pp. 
of obrallare, surro'und with a wall, < ob, before, 
+ vallum, a wall. Cf. circumtallate.] In hot., 
walled up; guarded on all sides or surrounded 
as if walled in. 
obventiont (ob-ven'shon), n. [< F. obrention = 
Sp. obreneion = It. ovvenzione, < LL. obrentio(n-), 
income, revenue, < L. obrenire, come before, 
meet, fall to one's lot, < ob, before, + renire, 
come: see come. Cf. subvention.'} That which 
happens or is done or made incidentally or oc- 
casionally; incidental advantage ; specifically, 
an offering, a tithe, or an oblation. 
When the country grows more rich and better Inhabited, 
the tythes and other obceiitivnt will also be more augment- 
ed and better valued. 
Spenser, State of Ireland. (Latham.) 
obversantt (ob-ver'sant), . f < L. obversan(t-)s, 
ppr. of obrersari, move to and fro before, go 
about, < ob, before, + rersari, turn, move, < 
rertere, turn : see verse. Cf. conrersant.] Con- 
versant; familiar. Bacon, To Sir H. Savile, 
letter cue. 
obverse (ob-vers' as an adj., ob'vers as a noun), 
a. and . [= F. obters = Sp. Pg. obrerso, < 
L. obversus, pp. of obvertere, turn toward or 
against: see oovert.] I. a. 1. Turned toward 
(one); facing: opposed to reverse, and applied 
in numismatics to that side of a coin or medal 
which bears the head or more important in- 
