Word of the Day - 04/15/26
oblique
/ə'blik/(adj.): indirect in departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading
His oblique remarks avoided a direct answer, making the conversation feel evasive.
(adj.): slanting; neither parallel nor perpendicular
The picture on the wall hung at an oblique slant, as if it were winking at anyone who walked by.
(n.): any grammatical case other than the nominative
In Latin grammar, the dative is considered an oblique case, as it is not the subject of the sentence.
(n.): a muscle situated at an angle and having one end not inserted on bone
She focused on exercises that specifically targeted her obliques to strengthen her core.
Word Origin
The word 'oblique' originated from the Latin word 'obliquus', meaning "slanting" or "sideways". It is composed of the prefix 'ob-' meaning "in the way" or "towards", combined with '*liquus', which means "slanting" and is cognate with the Latin 'licinus' meaning "bent upward".