nihil ob·stat \-ˈäbzˌtat, -bˌst-\noun Etymology: Latin, nothing hinders 1.: the certification by an official censor of the Roman Catholic Church that a book has been examined and found to contain nothing opposed to faith and morals 2.: authoritative or official approval < the surest road to fame was … through the imprimatur and nihil obstat of a foreign critic — P.H.Odegard >