Recondite
Word of the Day
What is Recondite?
adjective
Little known; difficult to understand; abstruse.
Pronunciation
Why This Word?
Chosen to celebrate the hidden corners of learning that reveal themselves only to the persistent.
Examples of Use
Here's how this word appears in everyday language:
The paper was full of recondite references to medieval law.
He has a recondite taste for obscure jazz pressings.
A recondite proof eventually resolved the conjecture.
Word Origins
Latin reconditus “hidden, put away,” from re- + condere “to store”
Originally meant “kept out of sight”; in English it shifted to “obscure, abstruse” in scholarship.
First appearance in English: 17th century
Word Family
Related forms of this word:
-
Adjective:
An abstruse argument lost most readers.
-
Adjective:
The arcane ritual baffled outsiders.
-
Noun:
Her erudition made the recondite accessible.
Around the World
How this word appears in other languages:
- Spanish: recóndito
- French: récondite
- German: abstrus
- Italian: recondito
- Portuguese: recôndito
If you Already Know This Word
If you've mastered this word, try these more advanced alternatives:
Arcane
Implies hidden or secret; “recondite” is simply very difficult.
Esoteric
Suggests meant for a small group; “recondite” stresses complexity.
Obscure
General lack of clarity; “recondite” is scholarly difficulty.
Fun Facts
- “Recondite” can be pronounced with the stress on the first or second syllable, depending on region.
- The Latin root also gives us “recondite” as in “stored away,” a metaphor for hidden knowledge.
Cultural Usage
- Kant’s recondite prose reshaped modern metaphysics.
- Several recondite lemmas underpin modern cryptography.
Common Mistakes
Often confused with “arcane”; “recondite” stresses difficulty, not secrecy.
Micro Story
Her lecture illuminated a recondite branch of number theory.