diaphanous

[ dahy-af-uh-nuh s ]

/ daɪˈæf ə nəs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR diaphanous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

very sheer and light; almost completely transparent or translucent.

delicately hazy.

Nearby words

diaper rash, diaphaneity, diaphanometer, diaphanoscope, diaphanoscopy, diaphanous, diaphemetric, diaphone, diaphony, diaphorase, diaphoresis

Origin of diaphanous

1605–15; < Medieval Latin diaphanus < Greek diaphan(ḗs) transparent, equivalent to diaphan-, stem of diaphaínein to show through (see dia-, -phane) + -ēs adj. suffix) + -ous

Related forms

di·aph·a·nous·ly, adverbdi·aph·a·nous·ness, nounnon·di·aph·a·nous, adjectivenon·di·aph·a·nous·ly, adverb

non·di·aph·a·nous·ness, nounsem·i·di·aph·a·nous, adjectivesem·i·di·aph·a·nous·ly, adverbsem·i·di·aph·a·nous·ness, nounun·di·aph·a·nous, adjectiveun·di·aph·a·nous·ly, adverbun·di·aph·a·nous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for diaphanous

As the audience enters, the diaphanous curtains onstage are gently blowing in the breezes of the Amalfi coast.
Tennessee Williams' Forgotten Masterpiece|Janice Kaplan|January 25, 2011|DAILY BEAST
From mesh and lace to the sheer and diaphanous, transparency was a clear favorite on the runways.
'Molto Sexy' in Milan|Isabel Wilkinson|September 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
His touch is as light as the zephyr that stirs the diaphanous drapery of his trees.
French Art|W. C. Brownell
The diaphanous waves of incense rose in the air and the organ burst into sound.
Christmas Stories from French and Spanish writers|Antoinette Ogden

There was nothing about her diaphanous, nothing undecided, nothing floating, no mist.
The Man Who Laughs|Victor Hugo
Forthwith, I began comparing lustrous gray eyes to the stars, and tracing a woman's figure in the diaphanous northern lights.
Lords of the North|A. C. Laut
At sunset the village smoke begins to hang low in a diaphanous cloud—a sure sign of the approaching cold weather.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India|Douglas Dewar

British Dictionary definitions for diaphanous

diaphanous

/ (daɪˈæfənəs) /

adjective

(usually of fabrics such as silk) fine and translucent

Derived Forms

diaphanously, adverbdiaphanousness or diaphaneity (ˌdaɪəfəˈniːɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for diaphanous

C17: from Medieval Latin diaphanus, from Greek diaphanēs transparent, from diaphainein to show through, from dia- + phainein to show

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012