hydrophane

[ hahy-druh-feyn ]

/ ˈhaɪ drəˌfeɪn /

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noun

a partly translucent variety of opal, which becomes more translucent or transparent when immersed in water.

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Origin of hydrophane

First recorded in 1775–85; hydro-¹ + -phane

OTHER WORDS FROM hydrophane

hy·droph·a·nous

[hahy-drof-uh-nuhs], /haɪˈdrɒf ə nəs/, adjective

Words nearby hydrophane

hydropathy, hydropericarditis, hydropericardium, hydroperitoneum, hydroperoxide, hydrophane, hydrophilia, hydrophilic, hydrophilous, hydrophobe, hydrophobia

How to use hydrophane in a sentence

It was milk-white, and became translucent in water, like that beautiful variety of opal, the hydrophane.
White Shadows in the South Seas|Frederick O'Brien
There is a variety of opal called Hydrophane, which is white and opaque till immersed in water; it then resembles the former.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 20, Issue 560, August 4, 1832|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hydrophane

hydrophane

/ (ˈhaɪdrəʊˌfeɪn) /

noun

a white partially opaque variety of opal that becomes translucent in water

Derived forms of hydrophane

hydrophanous (haɪˈdrɒfənəs), adjective

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