filmy

American  

[fil-mee] / ˈfɪl mi /

adjective

filmier, filmiest

1. thin and light; fine and gauzy.

   a gown of a filmy material.

2. hazy or misty; glazed.

   filmy eyes.

---

filmy British  

/ ˈfɪlmɪ /

adjective

1. composed of or resembling film; transparent or gauzy

2. covered with or as if with a film; hazy; blurred

---

Other Word Forms

• filminess
  noun
• filmily
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of filmy

First recorded in 1595–1605; film + -y ¹

Explanation

Something that's filmy is light and translucent. Filmy white curtains are especially pretty when the sun shines through them and they blow in the breeze. The adjective filmy often describes fabric that you can almost see through, like a filmy dress you wear to the prom. A filmy layer of light might rest on the surface of water, and your old dog might have filmy eyes. In all of these examples, the filmy thing is nearly as thin as a film or membrane: the word stems from the Old English filmen, "membrane or thin skin."

Example Sentences

Filmy white curtains often substitute for walls, filtering light and mixing the silhouettes of sculptures and viewers in fleeting tableaus.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2018

Filmy shadows fell over her hair and down her strong young arms like priceless lace.

From The Forester's Daughter A Romance of the Bear-Tooth Range by Garland, Hamlin

Filmy, semi-transparent veils seem to wave gently to and fro as they sparkle in the numerous lights.

From George Alfred Henty The Story of an Active Life by Fenn, George Manville

Filmy and light as fairies' wings, The fading clouds descend, Touching with finger tips the strings While leaves on green boughs bend.

From The Trail of a Sourdough Life in Alaska by Sullivan, May Kellogg

Filmy purple mists, that were not vapors but fabrics woven of color, hid in the recesses of the hills. 

From Martin Eden by London, Jack