Obfuscate comes from the Latin prefix ob- (meaning "over" or "completely") and fuscus ("dark-colored"). That fact gives an idea as to how the word can refer to making something difficult to see or understand—much like how dark, dirty water makes it hard to see the bottom.

obfuscate verb formal uk / ˈɒb.fʌs.keɪt / us / ˈɑːb.fə.skeɪt / Add to word list [ T or I ] to make something less clear and harder to understand, especially intentionally:

verb (used with object),ob·fus·cat·ed, ob·fus·cat·ing. to make unclear or hard to understand, especially deliberately: Do not obfuscate the issue with irrelevant detail. to confuse or bewilder: The authors achieve their purpose without obfuscating the reader by using too much technical terminology. to darken.

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).