Diaphanes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Allowing light to pass through so that objects beyond can be seen, used in older or technical writing about delicate, see-through materials
2. Clear enough to let light through, describing a substance or surface that is transparent or nearly so
3. Describing something that is see-through or translucent, especially a thin, fine material that admits light

Etymology: The plural "diaphanes" is the form of "diaphane", a noun for a transparent substance, and it comes into English through French from the Greek word "diaphanes", which describes something that lets light pass through it. That Greek adjective was built from "dia", meaning "through", and "phainein", meaning "to show" or "to shine", so the core idea is something you can see right through. The Greek word passed into medieval Latin as "diaphanus", meaning "transparent", and from there into Middle French as "diaphane". English borrowed the noun from French, and it remains a learned, technical-sounding term rather than an everyday one.

Synonyms: translucent, transparent, sheer, gauzy, diaphanous

Antonyms: opaque, dense, impervious, murky, cloudy