Dictionary

oblique en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ɒbˈlaɪk/ (obsolete)
• /oʊˈbliːk/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio
• (General-American) audio
• /əˈbliːk/ (UK)
• /ɑbˈlaɪk/ US military command

Etymology

From Middle French oblique, from Latin oblīquus (also spelled oblīcus) (“slanting, sideways, indirect, envious”).

Meanings

1. Not erect or perpendicular; not parallel to, or at right angles from, the base.
   • The roadside section of the tramway is limited to 12 m.p.h., except over the oblique road crossings, where speed is restricted to 4 m.p.h., with a compulsory stop immediately before. 1951 May, R. K. Kirkland, “The Cavan & Leitrim Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 344:
   • Italic fonts are sometimes described as oblique in typographic terminology.
   • when it has a Direction oblique to that of the former Motion, it is either added to, or subtracted from the former Motion 1725, George Cheyne, Philosophical Principles of Religion, page 16:
2. Not straightforward; indirect; by implication; (sometimes even) obscure, ambiguous, or confusing.
   • This mode of oblique research, where a more direct one is denied, we find to be the only one in our power. 1840, Thomas De Quincey, “Style. No. II”, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, page 387:
   • The email from HR obliquely informed her that some complaints about her had been received.
3. Disingenuous; underhand; morally corrupt.
   • For the love we bear our friends, / Tho nere so strongly grounded, / Hath in it certain oblique ends / If to the bottome sounded 1630, Michael Drayton, “The Third Nimphall”, in The Muses Elyzium:
   • Then would be closed the restless, oblique eye / That looks for evil, like a treacherous spy 1849, William Wordsworth, “Humanity”, in The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth:
4. Not direct in descent; not following the line of father and son; collateral.
   • His natural affection in a direct line was strong; in an oblique, but weak; for no man ever loved Children more, or a Brother less. 1665, Richard Baker, “The Reign of King Henry the First”, in A Chronicle of the Kings of England, page 49:
5. (of leaves) Having the base of the blade asymmetrical, with one side lower than the other.
   • Leaves long, lanceolate, tapering upward from the middle to an acute point, […] secondaries very oblique, distinct, alternate, parallel, curved in transversing the blade 1892, Leo Lesquereux, The Flora of the Dakota Group, page 78:
6. (of branches or roots) Growing at an angle that is neither vertical nor horizontal.
   • Oblique and sinker roots will normally be under a greater compression stress than lateral roots. 1997, A. Stokes, D. Guitard, “Tree Root Response to Mechanical Stress”, in Arie Altman, Yoav Waisel, editors, Biology of Root Formation and Development, page 233:
7. Pertaining to the oblique case (non-nominative).
8. (of speech or narration) Indirect; employing the actual words of the speaker but as related by a third person, having the first person in pronoun and verb converted into the third person and adverbs of present time into the past, etc.
   • They found out obliquely that she had heard from HR about the comments and was taking some time to absorb the sting of an implied reprimand.
9. Employing oblique motion, motion or progression in which one part (voice) stays on the same note while another ascends or descends.
   • In passing from the minor third to unison, the motion ought to be oblique, but from the major third to unison the motion ought to be similar 1837, Allan Cunningham, “Music”, in The Popular Encyclopedia, page 109:

Forms

Deriveds

oblique stem · oblique pyramid · suboblique · oblique fabric · oblique sphere · Oblique Strategies · oblique ligament · oblique angle · obliquely · oblique bridge · oblique plane · oblique reflection · oblique spaceship · oblique foliation · oblique circle · oblique motion · oblique wing · oblique ascension · oblique fire · oblique sailing · oblique narration · oblique dash · oblique intent · double-oblique · oblique contour · oblique strain · oblique projection · oblique head · oblique illumination · oblique order · oblique speech · oblique stroke · oblique cord · obliqueness · deobliquing · oblique effect · oblique correction · oblique dendrite · oblique icebreaker · oblique subject · nonoblique · oblique fracture · oblique flank · oblique shock · oblique ridge · oblique step · obliquity · single-oblique · oblique-swimming triplefin · oblique arch · triple-oblique · oblique muscle · oblique line · oblique system of coordinates · oblique tone · oblique rhyme · oblique case · oblique arytenoid · oblique type

Synonyms

aslant · askew · slanting · inclined

Translations (87)

ru накло́нный (not erect or perpendicular) · eo oblikva (not erect or perpendicular) · nl indirect (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · hu döntött (not erect or perpendicular) · cs nepřímý (not direct in descent; not following the line of father and son; collateral) · pt oblíquo (not erect or perpendicular) · fi vino (not erect or perpendicular) · cs nepřímý (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · pdt scheef (nds) (not erect or perpendicular) · sk skosený (not erect or perpendicular) · sk krivýnepriamy (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · fi kiero (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · sa जिह्म (not erect or perpendicular) · hu rézsútos (not erect or perpendicular) · cs šikmý (not erect or perpendicular) · sv snedställd (not erect or perpendicular) · fa اریب (not erect or perpendicular) · fi hämäräperäinen (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · bg кос (not erect or perpendicular) · ru ко́свенный (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · cs zvrhlý (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · hu függő (grammar: pertaining to the oblique case (non-nominative)) · cs kosý (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · cs křivý (not erect or perpendicular) · cmn 斜 (not erect or perpendicular) · nn skrå (not erect or perpendicular) · sv sned (not erect or perpendicular) · de oblique (not erect or perpendicular) · hu alattomos (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · de schief (not erect or perpendicular) · hu sanda (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · tr eğik (not erect or perpendicular) · grc λοξός (not erect or perpendicular) · it obliquo (not erect or perpendicular) · ru косо́й (not erect or perpendicular) · ru непрямо́й (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · nb skjev (not erect or perpendicular) · sk naklonený (not erect or perpendicular) · hu oldalági (not direct in descent; not following the line of father and son; collateral) · mi hōtiu (not erect or perpendicular) · sk šikmý (not erect or perpendicular) · nl schuin (not erect or perpendicular) · cmn 偏斜 (not erect or perpendicular) · fi epäsuora (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · tl talibas (not erect or perpendicular) · ca oblic (not erect or perpendicular) · la oblīquus (not erect or perpendicular) · fr oblique (not erect or perpendicular) · hu dőlt (not erect or perpendicular) · es oblicuo (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · grc δοχμός (not erect or perpendicular) · mi tītaha (not erect or perpendicular) · nb skeiv (not erect or perpendicular) · bg непряк (not direct in descent; not following the line of father and son; collateral) · cs zkosený (not erect or perpendicular) · sk nepriamy (not direct in descent; not following the line of father and son; collateral) · ru ско́шенный (not erect or perpendicular) · it obliquo (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · sv lutande (not erect or perpendicular) · cs kosý (not erect or perpendicular) · ru ко́свенный (not direct in descent; not following the line of father and son; collateral) · hu ferde (not erect or perpendicular) · mi kōnana (not erect or perpendicular) · sv förtäckt (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · hu közvetett (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · hu burkolt (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · grc λοξός (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · bg непряк (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · uk нахи́лений (not erect or perpendicular) · es enviajado (not erect or perpendicular) · bg наклонен (not erect or perpendicular) · mi hāhā (not erect or perpendicular) · uk похи́лий (not erect or perpendicular) · sk pokrivený (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · sv skev (not erect or perpendicular) · sv indirekt (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · ca oblic (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · de schräg (not erect or perpendicular) · ru око́льный (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · hy շեղ (not erect or perpendicular) · es oblicuo (not erect or perpendicular) · hu homályos (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · ru непрямо́й (not direct in descent; not following the line of father and son; collateral) · bg заобиколен (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · sv undvikande (not straightforward; indirect; obscure; hence, disingenuous; underhand; perverse; sinister) · th เฉ (not erect or perpendicular) · ru пока́тый (not erect or perpendicular)

oblique en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɒbˈlaɪk/ (obsolete)
• /oʊˈbliːk/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio
• (General-American) audio
• /əˈbliːk/ (UK)
• /ɑbˈlaɪk/ US military command

Etymology

From Middle French oblique, from Latin oblīquus (also spelled oblīcus) (“slanting, sideways, indirect, envious”).

Meanings

1. An oblique line.
2. Synonym of slash ⟨/⟩.
   • Initial inquiries among professional typists uncover names like slant, slant line, slash, and slash mark. Examination of typing instruction manuals discloses additional names such as diagonal and diagonal mark, and other sources provide the designation oblique. 1965, Dmitri A. Borgmann, Language on Vacation, page 240:
   • Other Chaucerian manuscripts had the virgule (or virgil or oblique: /) at the middle of lines. 1990, John McDermott, Punctuation for Now, page 20:
3. The oblique case.
4. The musculus obliquus externus abdominis or also obliquus internus abdominis.

Forms

Deriveds

stroke · oblique mark · oblique stroke

Synonyms

slash · slash

oblique en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɒbˈlaɪk/ (obsolete)
• /oʊˈbliːk/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio
• (General-American) audio
• /əˈbliːk/ (UK)
• /ɑbˈlaɪk/ US military command

Etymology

From Middle French oblique, from Latin oblīquus (also spelled oblīcus) (“slanting, sideways, indirect, envious”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To deviate from a perpendicular line; to become askew.
   • he sat upon the edge of his chair […] and achieved a communication with his plate by projecting his person towards it in a line which obliqued from the bottom of his spine 1814, Sir Walter Scott, Waverly:
2. To march in a direction oblique to the line of the column or platoon; — formerly accomplished by oblique steps, now by direct steps, the men half-facing either to the right or left.
3. (transitive) To slant (text, etc.) at an angle.

Forms