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definitions

opaque

[ oh-peyk ]
/ oʊˈpeɪk /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR opaque ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

noun

something that is opaque.
Photography. a coloring matter, usually black or red, used to render part of a negative opaque.

verb (used with object), o·paqued, o·paqu·ing.

Photography. to cover up blemishes on (a negative), especially for making a printing plate.
to cause to become opaque.

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RELATED WORDS

impenetrable, murky, cloudy, hazy, gloomy, frosty, thick, dull, dirty, blurred, unclear, uncertain, equivocal, unintelligible, arcane, incomprehensible, vague, dark, dim, dusky

Nearby words

  1. opal glass,
  2. opalesce,
  3. opalescent,
  4. opaleye,
  5. opaline,
  6. opaque context,
  7. opaque projector,
  8. opaquely,
  9. opc,
  10. ope

Origin of opaque

1375–1425; late Middle English opake < Latin opācus shaded
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for opaque

British Dictionary definitions for opaque

opaque

/ (əʊˈpeɪk) /

adjective

noun

photog an opaque pigment used to block out particular areas on a negative

verb opaques, opaquing or opaqued (tr)

to make opaque
photog to block out particular areas, such as blemishes, on (a negative), using an opaque
Derived Formsopaquely, adverbopaqueness, noun

Word Origin for opaque

C15: from Latin opācus shady
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 opaque

opaque

adj.

early 15c., opake, from Latin opacus "shaded, in the shade, shady, dark, darkened, obscure," of unknown origin. Spelling influenced after c.1650 by French opaque (c.1500), from the Latin. Figurative use from 1761. Related: Opaquely; opaqueness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for opaque

opaque

[ ō-pāk′ ]

adj.

Impenetrable by light; neither transparent nor translucent.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for opaque

opaque

[ ō-pāk′ ]

Resistant to the transmission of certain kinds of radiation, usually light. Metals and many minerals are opaque to light, while being transparent to radio waves and neutrinos. Compare translucent transparent.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.