Obtuse
/əbˈtuːs/noun
Not quick to understand, or having an angle greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees.
Did you know?The word first described physically blunted objects and wide angles before developing its modern sense of intellectual slowness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tund-
“To beat, strike, or pound”
Classical Latin
Latin
tundere
“To beat, strike, or batter”
Classical Latin
Latin
obtundere
“To beat against, blunt, or dull; literally to strike against”
Classical Latin
Latin
obtusus
“Blunt, dulled, or lacking a sharp point”
Late Middle English
Latin via French
obtuse
“Blunt or dull; later, mentally slow”
Modern English
English
obtuse
“Difficult to understand, intellectually dull, or describing an angle greater than 90 degrees”