diaphanous

diaphanous
\ \ [17] Semantically, diaphanous is the ancestor of modern English see-through. It comes, via medieval Latin diaphanus, from Greek diaphanés, a compound adjective formed from dia- ‘through’ and the verb phaíneinshow’. Originally in English it meant simply ‘transparent’, without its present-day connotations of delicacy: ‘Aristotle called light a quality inherent, or cleaving to a Diaphanous body’, Walter Raleigh, History of the World 1614.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Diaphanous — Di*aph a*nous, a. [Gr. ?, fr. ? to show or shine through; dia through + ? to show, and in the passive, to shine: cf. F. diaphane. See {Phantom}, and cf. {Diaphane}, {Diaphanic}.] Allowing light to pass through, as porcelain; translucent or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • diaphanous — [dī af′ə nəs] adj. [ML diaphanus < Gr diaphanēs, transparent < diaphainein, to shine through < dia , through + phainein, to show: see FANTASY] 1. so fine or gauzy in texture as to be transparent or translucent [diaphanous cloth] 2. vague …   English World dictionary

  • diaphanous — index lucid, pellucid Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • diaphanous — 1610s, from M.L. diaphanus, from Gk. diaphanes transparent, from dia through (see DIA (Cf. dia )) + phainesthai, middle voice form (subject acting on itself) of phainein to show (see PHANTASM (Cf. phantasm)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • diaphanous — limpid, pellucid, transparent, translucent, *clear, lucid …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • diaphanous — [adj] fine, see through chiffon, clear, cobweblike, delicate, filmy, flimsy, gauzy, gossamer, light, pellucid, pure, sheer, thin, translucent, transparent; concepts 490,606 Ant. opaque, thick …   New thesaurus

  • diaphanous — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ light, delicate, and translucent. ORIGIN Greek diaphan s, from dia through + phainein to show …   English terms dictionary

  • diaphanous — adjective Etymology: Medieval Latin diaphanus, from Greek diaphanēs, from diaphainein to show through, from dia + phainein to show more at fancy Date: 1614 1. characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit seeing through < diaphanous… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • diaphanous — [17] Semantically, diaphanous is the ancestor of modern English see through. It comes, via medieval Latin diaphanus, from Greek diaphanés, a compound adjective formed from dia ‘through’ and the verb phaínein ‘show’. Originally in English it meant …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • diaphanous — [[t]daɪæ̱fənəs[/t]] ADJ: usu ADJ n Diaphanous cloth is very thin and almost transparent. [LITERARY] ...a diaphanous dress of pale gold …   English dictionary

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