# obfuscate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈɒbfəskeɪt/ · frequency rank #68,493

## Definitions
1. To make dark; to overshadow.
2. To deliberately make more confusing in order to conceal the truth.
3. To alter code while preserving its behavior but concealing its structure and intent.

## Etymology
The adjective is first attested in 1487, in Middle English, the verb in 1536; either borrowed from Middle French obfusquer, offusquer, from Old French offusquer, or directly from Late Latin obfuscātus, offuscātus, the perfect passive participle of obfuscō, offuscō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin ob- + fuscō (“to darken”). Doublet of dusken (“to darken, make obscure”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/obfuscate