diaphanous
Americanadjective
-
very sheer and light; almost completely transparent or translucent.
-
delicately hazy.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of diaphanous
1605–15; < Medieval Latin diaphanus < Greek diaphan(ḗs) transparent, equivalent to diaphan-, stem of diaphaínein to show through ( see dia-, -phane ( def. ) ) + -ēs adj. suffix) + -ous
Explanation
If a dress is so see-through that light shines through it, it's diaphanous. You could also call it "sheer" or "transparent," but diaphanous sounds much fancier. If you want a classic example of diaphanous clothing, check out all those nineteenth century Romantic paintings of goddesses clad in lightweight gowns flouncing around in the middle of forests at night. Those gowns are diaphanous, and so are the fluttery translucent muslin curtains in your kitchen window and the gauzy tutu your little sister loves to wear. The Greek root, diaphanes, "see-through," combines dia-, "through," and phainesthai, "to show."
Vocabulary lists containing diaphanous
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Diaphanous, the petals harness light’s visual capacities to appeal to the sense of touch, not just sight.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2022
Diaphanous gold and black chiffon dresses, bound with winding ribbons, pleated and worn with metallic cithara garlands.
From New York Times • May 30, 2017
Diaphanous, a wire hawser had been lowered from the bows of the airship and made fast to the tramp's after-winch.
From The Airship "Golden Hind" by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)
For Lead dissolv'd in Spirit of Vinegar or Aqua-fortis gives a Solution cleer enough, and if the Menstruum be abstracted appears either Diaphanous or White.
From Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours (1664) by Boyle, Robert
Diaphanous, dī-af′a-nus, adj. shining or appearing through, transparent, clear—also Diaphan′ic.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
