translucent

(trăns-lū'sənt, trănz-)
adj.

1. Transmitting light but causing sufficient diffusion to prevent perception of distinct images.
2. Clear; lucid.

[Latin trānslūcēns, trānslūcent-, present participle of trānslūcēre, to shine through : trāns-, trans- + lūcēre, to shine.]

translucence trans·lu'cence or trans·lu'cen·cy n.
translucently trans·lu'cent·ly adv.

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The quality of being able to see through a material whereby the distant image is hazy or foggy. The terms "translucent" and "transparent" are often used synonymously, but they are not the same. A translucent area in an image would be like looking through frosted or smoked glass to the underlying background. A transparent area would be like looking through clear glass.

Not Well Supported

True translucency is not supported in many graphics formats as an attribute of the image. Although the visual effect of translucency can always be simulated in an image by using an image editing program, the actual translucent area is opaque, and the underlying background does not show through.

Translucency is an advanced technique; for example, Adobe's PostScript and HP's PCL language do not support translucency; however, Adobe's PDF, which came later, does support it. Images formatted with true translucency that are printed in PostScript and PCL are flattened into opaque images that tend to have visual artifacts. See alpha blending.

Translucent Borders

See-through, translucent window borders were one of the eye-candy features in the Aero interface introduced in Windows Vista. Articles about Aero erroneously refer to "transparent windows" more than they do "translucent windows."

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adjective

Admitting light so that objects beyond can be seen: clear, crystal clear, crystalline, limpid, lucid, pellucid, see-through, transparent. See clear/unclear.

adj

Definition: clear
Antonyms: blocked, cloudy, opaque

Descriptive of a material that transmits light but diffuses it sufficiently so that an image cannot be seen through the material clearly.

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IN BRIEF: n. - The quality of allowing light to pass diffusely.

Due to the translucence of her skin, it was easy for us to see veins.

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transmitting light (or other radiation) with some scattering or diffusion. Consequently, objects cannot be clearly distinguished through translucent materials. Compare transparent.
—translucence or translucency n.

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Slightly penetrable by light rays.

See words rhyming with "translucency."

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - gennemskinnelig, (halv)gennemsigtig

Nederlands (Dutch)
doorschijnend

Français (French)
adj. - translucide

Deutsch (German)
adj. - durchsichtig, durchscheinend

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - (ημι)διαφανής, (ημι)διαυγής

Italiano (Italian)
traslucido

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - translúcido (m)

Русский (Russian)
полупрозрачный, просвечивающий

Español (Spanish)
adj. - translúcido

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - (halv)genomskinlig, translucent, kristallklar (bildl.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
半透明的, 清澈的, 透明的, 清楚易懂的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 半透明的, 清澈的, 透明的, 清楚易懂的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 반투명의, 명백한, 투명한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 半透明の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) نصف شفاف, شفافي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮שקוף למחצה‬

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