subfusc

views updated May 29 2018

sub·fusc / səbˈfəsk/ • adj. poetic/lit. dull; gloomy: the light was subfusc and aqueous.

subfusc

views updated May 23 2018

subfusc the formal clothing worn for examinations and formal occasions at some universities; in poetic and literary use, subfusc as an adjective means ‘dull, gloomy’. The term, recorded from the early 18th century, comes from Latin subfuscus, from sub- ‘somewhat’ + fuscus ‘dark brown’.

subfusc

views updated May 18 2018

subfusc of dusky or sombre hue. XVIII. — L. sub-fuscus, var. of suffuscus, f. SUB- + fuscus dark.

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