obsolete
See also: obsolète
English
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈɒbsəliːt/
- (US) enPR: äbsəˈlēt, IPA(key): /ɑbsəˈliːt/, /ˈɑbsəliːt/
Audio (US) (file)
Etymology 1
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 forms
- absolete (obsolete)
Adjective
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 terms
- obsoleteness
Collocations
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
Translations
no longer in use
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in biology: imperfectly developed
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Etymology 2
From Latin obsolētō (“degrade, soil, sully, stain, defile”).
Verb
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 notes
- 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”).
Synonyms
- antiquate; see also Thesaurus:make older
Translations
to cause to become obsolete
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Related terms
- obsolesce
- obsolescence
- obsolescent
- obsoletion
Further reading
- 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
German
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Adjective
obsolete
- inflection of obsolet:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Italian
Adjective
obsolete f pl
- feminine plural of obsoleto
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ob.soˈleː.teː/, [ɔps̠ɔˈɫ̪eːt̪eː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ob.soˈle.te/, [obsoˈlɛːt̪e]
Adverb
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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Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ob.soˈleː.te/, [ɔps̠ɔˈɫ̪eːt̪ɛ]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ob.soˈle.te/, [obsoˈlɛːt̪e]
Participle
obsolēte
- vocative masculine singular of obsolētus
References
- “obsolete”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers