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Translucent

 - 5 dictionary results

trans·lu·cent

[trans-loo-suhnt, tranz-]
–adjective
1.
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.
2.
easily understandable; lucid: a translucent explication.
3.
clear; transparent: translucent seawater.

Origin:
1590–1600; < L trānslūcent- (s. of trānslūcēns), prp. of trānslūcere to shine through. See trans-, lucent

trans·lu·cence, trans·lu·cen·cy, noun
trans·lu·cent·ly, adverb
sub·trans·lu·cence, noun
sub·trans·lu·cen·cy, noun
sub·trans·lu·cent, adjective

translucent, transparent (see synonym note at transparent).


1. See transparent.


1. opaque.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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World English Dictionary
translucent (trænzˈluːsənt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
allowing light to pass through partially or diffusely; semitransparent
 
[C16: from Latin translūcēre to shine through, from trans- + lūcēre to shine]
 
trans'lucence
 
n
 
trans'lucency
 
n
 
trans'lucently
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Word Origin & History

translucent
1596, from L. translucentem (nom. translucens), prp. of translucere "to shine through," from trans- "through" + lucere "to shine" (see light (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

trans·lu·cent definition

Pronunciation: /-ənt/
Function: adj
: permitting the passage of light
especially : transmitting and diffusing light so that objects beyond cannot be seen clearly
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2007 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
translucent   (trāns-l'sənt)  Pronunciation Key 
Allowing radiation (most commonly light) to pass through, but causing diffusion. Frosted glass, for example, is translucent to visible light. Compare transparent.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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