It's hardly on the same level as 'sugar' or 'death' though, is it? It's a niche term for a very specific thing. Like I say, I have a decent vocabulary and I've never used the word.
That's kind of my point. If you've had cause to use it (and I have many times over the past couple of years here at home), then it's not obscure.
But that is the case for any word, surely? I'm familiar with this week's Greek word, but only because I studied Ancient Greek at school. (I had the other word of the day though!)
Anyhow, it has been a bit trickier recently, but I think that's a good thing.