Opake

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not letting light pass through, so that nothing can be seen beyond it, as with a solid or dense substance
2. Blocking light completely and therefore impossible to see through, a quality of certain dense or thick materials
3. Describing a material or surface that is impenetrable to light and cannot be looked through at all

Etymology: "Opake" is an older English spelling of "opaque," the adjective for something that blocks light so you cannot see through it. The word came into Middle English from Latin "opacus," meaning "shaded" or "shady," and the Latin term is of unknown origin, so its deeper ancestry is lost. The core idea is shade: something that casts shadow rather than letting light pass through. French later influenced the word. Middle French "opaque" strengthened the spelling and form that English eventually settled on, so the older "opake" gradually gave way to the modern spelling while keeping the same Latin sense of shadowed darkness.

Synonyms: opaque

Antonyms: transparent, translucent