transparency

[ trans-pair-uh n-see, -par- ]

/ trænsˈpɛər ən si, -ˈpær- /

noun, plural trans·par·en·cies.

Also trans·par·ence. the quality or state of being transparent.

something transparent, especially a picture, design, or the like on glass or some translucent substance, made visible by light shining through from behind.

Photography.

the proportion of the light that is passed through the emulsion on an area of a photographic image.
a photographic print on a clear base for viewing by transmitted light.

Nearby words

Origin of transparency

From the Medieval Latin word trānspārentia, dating back to 1585–95. See transparent, -ency

Related formsnon·trans·par·ence, nounnon·trans·par·en·cy, noun

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

Examples from the Web for transparence

He had had Carlisle's feelings only at second-hand, through a medium perhaps wanting in transparence.
V. V.'s Eyes|Henry Sydnor Harrison
In working with the microscope it must be remembered that the objects are seen by transparence.
Practical Cinematography and Its Applications|Frederick Arthur Ambrose Talbot
They have the transparence of soul and the lights of childhood.
Letters of a Soldier|Anonymous
The long sails, passing for a moment over the sun, became lighted up with a singular glory and transparence.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo

Lower down, the water had carried the slightest cloud of alkali, and this had dulled the keen edge of its transparence.
The Virginian|Owen Wister

British Dictionary definitions for transparence

transparency

/ (trænsˈpærənsɪ, -ˈpɛər-) /

noun plural -cies

Also called: transparence the state of being transparent

Also called: slide a positive photograph on a transparent base, usually mounted in a frame or between glass plates. It can be viewed by means of a slide projector

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 transparence

transparency

1610s, "condition of being transparent," from Medieval Latin transparentia, from transparentem (see transparent). Meaning "that which is transparent" is from 1590s; of pictures, prints, etc., from 1785; in photography from 1866.