Examples Word Origin
noun, plural o·pac·i·ties. the state or quality of being opaque . something opaque . the degree to which a substance is opaque ; capacity for being opaque . Photography the proportion of the light that is absorbed by the emulsion on any given area of a film or plate. obscurity of meaning. mental dullness. Medicine/Medical an opaque spot or area in normally clear or transparent tissue, as a cataract of the eye. Show More
Origin of opacity First recorded in
1550–60, opacity is from the
Latin word
opācitās shade. See
opaque ,
-ity Related forms non·o·pac·i·ty , noun, plural non·o·pac·i·ties. Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for opacities Historical Examples of opacities Who knows whether these opacities will not become transparent?
These may be treated with nitrate of silver lotion of twice the strength used for opacities .
This accounts for the films, opacities , and white spots seen upon the eye after the inflammation has subsided.
British Dictionary definitions for opacities the state or quality of being opaque the degree to which something is opaque an opaque object or substance obscurity of meaning; unintelligibility physics photog the ratio of the intensity of light incident on a medium, such as a photographic film, to that transmitted through the medium logic philosophy the property of being an opaque context Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for opacities n. 1550s, "darkness of meaning, obscurity," from French opacité , from Latin opacitatem (nominative opacitas ) "shade, shadiness," from opacus "shaded, dark, opaque" (see opaque ). The literal sense "condition of being impervious to light" first recorded 1630s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
The quality or state of being opaque. An opaque or nontransparent area, as of the cornea. Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
