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semitransparency

semitransparency

6.8
Letting some light pass while hiding a clear view of things behind
  • noun
  • /ˌsɛmɪtrænˈspɛrənsi/
translation icon : semitransparencia
  • The semitransparency of the curtains allowed some sunlight to softly enter the room.

Examples

  • Artists often use layers of paint to achieve effects of semitransparency in their work.

  • The plastic had a semitransparency that obscured the objects placed behind it.

  • The semitransparency of the curtains creates a soft glow in the room.

  • He admired the semitransparency of the glass art piece.

  • The semitransparency of the curtains allowed some sunlight to softly enter the room.

  • He admired the semitransparency of the glass art piece.

  • Artists often use layers of paint to achieve effects of semitransparency in their work.

Synonyms

transparency
vssemitransparency
  • Specialized
5 4.6

To let light pass so you can see objects behind

focuses specifically on partial, diffused light rather than clear visibility
translucence
vssemitransparency
1 6.8

A quality that lets light through but hides clear shapes, like frosted glass

emphasizes partial light passage that diffuses rather than transmits clearly
translucency
vssemitransparency
1 6.9

Allowing light to pass so shapes on the other side are not clear

highlights partial passage that softens light rather than showing clear shapes
lucency
vssemitransparency
8.5

How much light passes through a material so you can see through it

limits this to partial, diffused light transmission rather than full clarity
diaphaneity
vssemitransparency
  • Specialized
9.9

The degree to which a material lets light pass through it

focuses on a single partial, diffused transmission instead of a range
diaphany
vssemitransparency
  • Archaic
9.9

The quality of letting light pass so you can partly see through something

defines the concept as partial diffusion rather than full clearness

Antonyms

3 7.0

So thick that you cannot see through it

1 4.7

An object that does not let light pass

How Transparent

transparency
  • Specialized
5 4.6
translucency
1 6.9
semitransparency
6.8
opacity
4 7.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

semitransparency = transparency (transparent) = semi + transparent + cy

The word is transparently formed by adding 'semi-' to 'transparency', giving the meaning 'partial transparency'.

Etymology

Semitransparency joins the prefix semi- ('half'), as in semicircle, with transparent ('see-through' or 'lets light pass'), creating a simple picture of 'half see-through'. So it means something that is partly see-through: it allows light in but does not show clear images.