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diaphanous

 
Dictionary: di·aph·a·nous   (dī-ăf'ə-nəs) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Of such fine texture as to be transparent or translucent: diaphanous tulle.
  2. Characterized by delicacy of form. See synonyms at airy.
  3. Vague or insubstantial: diaphanous dreams of glory.

[From Medieval Latin diaphanus, transparent, from Greek diaphanēs, from diaphainein, to be transparent : dia-, dia- + phainein, phan-, to show.]

diaphaneity di'a·pha·ne'i·ty ('ə-fə-nē'ĭ-tē) or di·aph'a·nous·ness n.
diaphanously di·aph'a·nous·ly adv.

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Wordsmith Words: diaphanous
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(dy-AF-uh-nuhs) pronunciation

adjective
1. Transparent, light, or delicate.
2. Vague or hazy.

Etymology
From Latin diaphanus (transparent), from Greek diaphanes, from diaphainein (to show through), from dia- (across) + phainein (to show). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bha- (to shine) that is also the source of beacon, banner, phantom, photo, phosphorus, phenomenon, fantasy, and epiphany

Usage
"In its main sale of the week, the house will offer five watercolors by Turner spanning his career, including the late picture 'The Brunig Pass from Meiringen, Switzerland', a whirlwind of diaphanous color and light." — Above and Beyond; The New Yorker; Feb 2, 2009.


Thesaurus: diaphanous
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adjective

    So light and insubstantial as to resemble air or a thin film: aerial, aery, airy, ethereal, filmy, gauzy, gossamer, gossamery, sheer2, transparent, vaporous, vapory. See thick/thin.

Antonyms: diaphanous
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adj

Definition: fine, see-through
Antonyms: opaque, thick


Word Tutor: diaphanous
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Having such fineness of texture as to be see-through.

pronunciation The ballerina wore a long, diaphanous skirt.

Translations: Diaphanous
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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - gennemsigtig, diafan

Nederlands (Dutch)
doorzichtig, gaasachtig

Français (French)
adj. - diaphane

Deutsch (German)
adj. - durchsichtig

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - διάφανος, διαυγής

Italiano (Italian)
diafano

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - diáfano

Русский (Russian)
прозрачный, расплывчатый

Español (Spanish)
adj. - diáfano, casi transparente

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - genomskinlig

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
透明的, 精致的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 透明的, 精致的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - (옷감이) 들여다 보이는, (확률이) 적은

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 透けて見える, 透明な, 霊妙な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) خفيف وناعم وتقريبا شفاف, شفاف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮שקוף‬


 
 
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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