obsolete
See also: obsolète
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Latin obsolētus (“worn out, gone out of use”), past participle of obsolēscere (“to wear out, fall into disuse, grow old, decay”); see obsolesce.
Alternative formsEdit
- absolete (obsolete)
AdjectiveEdit
obsolete (comparative more obsolete, superlative most obsolete)
- (of words, equipment, etc.) No longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected (often in favour of something newer).
- Synonyms: antiquated, deprecated, disused; see also Thesaurus:obsolete
- 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
- Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.
- It is speculated that, within a few years, the Internet's speedy delivery of news worldwide will make newspapers obsolete.
- (biology) Imperfectly developed; not very distinct.
- Synonyms: abortive, obscure, rudimental
- 1891, Charles Dixon, The Birds of Our Rambles: With a Companion for the Country, page 130:
- These two birds somewhat closely resemble each other, but the Sedge Warbler is russet-brown above, the feathers with dark centres, the pale buff eyestripe is very clearly defined, and the underparts are buffish white; the Reed Warbler is more olive on the upper parts, the feathers having no dark centres, the underparts are more inclined to buff, and the eyestripe is nearly obsolete.
Derived termsEdit
CollocationsEdit
with nouns
- obsolete word
- obsolete phrase
- obsolete equipment
- obsolete computer
- obsolete technology
- obsolete weapon
- obsolete machine
- obsolete law
- obsolete statute
- obsolete currency
- obsolete building
- obsolete idea
- obsolete skill
- obsolete concept
- obsolete custom
- obsolete theory
- obsolete tradition
- obsolete institution
TranslationsEdit
no longer in use
in biology: imperfectly developed
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Etymology 2Edit
From Latin obsolētō (“degrade, soil, sully, stain, defile”).
VerbEdit
obsolete (third-person singular simple present obsoletes, present participle obsoleting, simple past and past participle obsoleted)
- (transitive, chiefly US) To cause to become obsolete.
- This software component has been obsoleted.
- We are in the process of obsoleting this product.
Usage notesEdit
- To obsolete is often used in computing and other technical fields to indicate an effort to remove or replace something.
- Compare deprecated (“no longer considered correct usage”).
SynonymsEdit
- antiquate; see also Thesaurus:make older
TranslationsEdit
to cause to become obsolete
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Related termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- obsolete in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- obsolete in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- obsolete at OneLook Dictionary Search
GermanEdit
PronunciationEdit
Audio (file)
AdjectiveEdit
obsolete
- inflection of obsolet:
ItalianEdit
AdjectiveEdit
obsolete f pl
LatinEdit
Etymology 1Edit
PronunciationEdit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ob.soˈleː.teː/, [ɔps̠ɔˈɫ̪eːt̪eː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ob.soˈle.te/, [obsoˈlɛːt̪e]
AdverbEdit
obsolētē (comparative obsolētius, superlative obsolētissimē)
- old
- This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text
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Etymology 2Edit
PronunciationEdit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ob.soˈleː.te/, [ɔps̠ɔˈɫ̪eːt̪ɛ]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ob.soˈle.te/, [obsoˈlɛːt̪e]
ParticipleEdit
obsolēte
ReferencesEdit
- “obsolete”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers