obfuscation -- Jack and Ann

ob·fus·cate  (bf-skt, b-fskt) tr.v. ob·fus·cat·ed, ob·fus·cat·ing, ob·fus·cates 1. To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand: "A great effort was made . . . to obscure or obfuscate the truth" (Robert Conquest). 2. To render indistinct or dim; darken: The fog obfuscated the shore. [Latin obfuscre, obfusct-, to darken : ob-, over; see ob- + fuscre, to darken (from fuscus, dark).] obfus·cation n. ob·fusca·tory (b-fsk-tôr, -tr, b-) adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published byHoughton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

When Jack struggled with the concept of a chemical mole, the textbook's unclear description obfuscating understanding, Ann helped him figure it out.