Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for opacity on Thesaurus.com 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 opacity Historical Examples of opacity The cause of this opacity is generally quick boiling while the meat is in.
Sometimes the want of opacity is due to the fact that the developer was too cold.
They have not substance enough, in fact, to reach a state of opacity .
The opacity is remarkably high, explaining why the star is so nearly "heat-tight."
The amount of acid regulates the density or opacity of the enamel.
British Dictionary definitions for opacity 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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for opacity 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.
