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opaque

[ oh-peyk ]
/ oʊˈpeɪk /
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See synonyms for: opaque / opaqueness 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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Origin of opaque

1375–1425; late Middle English opake<Latin opācus shaded

OTHER WORDS FROM opaque

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use opaque in a sentence

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 forms of opaque

opaquely, 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

Scientific 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.
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