oblique
UK[əˈbliːk]US[oʊˈbliːk]
adj
not straight or direct; slanting
adj
not expressed or done in a direct way; indirect
adj
(of an angle) more than 0° and less than 90°, or more than 90° and less than 180°
Etymology
the word 'oblique' entered english in the early 15th century from the latin adjective 'obliquus', meaning slanting, sidelong, or indirect. latin 'obliquus' is itself of uncertain origin, though it may be a compound from 'ob-' (toward, against) and a root related to 'liquis' (perhaps from 'linquo', to leave), suggesting a sense of deviation from a straight line. the core semantic thread from its latin origin to modern english is the concept of divergence from the perpendicular or the straightforward, encompassing both physical slant and metaphorical indirectness.
Analysis
the word is a simplex loanword from latin. it cannot be meaningfully segmented into smaller, independent morphemes using its modern english spelling.
Examples
the oblique rays of the evening sun cast long shadows.
she made an oblique reference to the financial difficulties without going into details.
in the diagram, the two lines intersect at an oblique angle.