translucent

[trans-loo-suhnt, tranz-]

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adjective

permitting light to pass through but diffusing it so that persons, objects, etc., on the opposite side are not clearly visible: Frosted window glass is translucent but not transparent.

easily understandable; lucid: a translucent explication.

clear; transparent: translucent seawater.

RELATED WORDS

clarity, pellucidity, clearness

Nearby words

Origin of translucent

1590–1600; < Latin trānslūcent- (stem of trānslūcēns), present participle of trānslūcere to shine through. See trans-, lucent

SYNONYMS FOR translucent

1. See transparent.

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ANTONYMS FOR translucent

1. opaque.

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Related forms

trans·lu·cence, trans·lu·cen·cy, nountrans·lu·cent·ly, adverbsub·trans·lu·cence, nounsub·trans·lu·cen·cy, noun

sub·trans·lu·cent, adjective

Can be confusedtranslucent transparent (see synonym study at transparent)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for translucence

Another cause for its brilliancy was that its translucence was not obscured by paint.
Stained Glass Tours in France|Charles Hitchcock Sherrill
Then the mist closed on them again, the city among the clouds was hidden from view, and the sky lost its translucence.
More Tales of the Ridings|Frederic Moorman
As he looked, the translucence faded and his skin switched to normal, the marks disappearing.
Tangle Hold|F. L. Wallace
These localities all consist of the opaque varieties, with a slight degree of translucence in some places.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

How express Nature, its translucence and mysterious unities, its mood never the same from hour to hour!
Tatterdemalion|John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for translucence

translucent

adjective

allowing light to pass through partially or diffusely; semitransparent

Derived Formstranslucence or translucency, nountranslucently, adverb

Word Origin for translucent

C16: from Latin translūcēre to shine through, from trans- + lūcēre to shine

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 translucence

translucence

adj.

early 15c., from Medieval Latin translucentia, from Latin translucentem (see translucenct).

translucent

adj.

1590s, from Latin translucentem (nominative translucens), present participle of translucere "to shine through," from trans- "through" (see trans-) + lucere "to shine" (see light (n.)).

Science definitions for translucence

translucent

[trăns-lōō′sənt]

Allowing radiation (most commonly light) to pass through, but causing diffusion. Frosted glass, for example, is translucent to visible light. Compare transparent.