Translucency

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of allowing light to pass through while obscuring clear visibility of objects on the other side
2. the property of permitting light to pass through while preventing distinct vision of forms beyond
3. a material characteristic enabling partial light transmission while maintaining visual opacity of distant objects

Etymology: "Translucency" is the state of being translucent, and its history is simply that of its base word with a noun ending attached. "Translucent" comes from the Latin "translucere," meaning to shine through, built from "trans" (across, through) and "lucere" (to shine), a root it shares with "lucid" and "light." The base adjective is the older of the two, and the noun was formed on it in English by adding the suffix "-ency," which turns adjectives into abstract nouns of quality. The useful distinction lies in the sense. Something transparent lets you see clearly through it, while something translucent admits light but blurs the shapes behind it, as with frosted glass or thin paper. The noun names that particular in-between quality, which is why it is used in optics, materials science and describing skin or stone.

Synonyms: clarity, transparency, lucidity, brightness, lightness

Antonyms: opacity, darkness, obscurity, invisibility, dimness