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Webster 1913 Edition


Translucent

Trans-lu′cent

,
Adj.
[L.
translucens
,
-entis
, p. pr. of
translucere
to shine through;
trans
across, through =
lucere
to shine. See
Lucid
.]
1.
Transmitting rays of light without permitting objects to be distinctly seen; partially transparent.
2.
Transparent; clear.
[Poetic]
“Fountain or fresh current . . . translucent, pure.”
Milton.
Replenished from the cool,
translucent
springs.
Pope.
A thing is translucent when it merely admits the passage of light, without enabling us to distinguish the color and outline of objects through it; it is transparent when we can clearly discern objects placed on the other side of it. Glass, water, etc., are transparent; ground glass is translucent; a translucent style.

Webster 1828 Edition


Translucent

TRANSLU'CENT

,
Adj.
In mineralogy, transmitting rays of light, but not so as to render objects distinctly visible.
1.
Transparent; clear.
Replenish'd from the cool translucent springs.

Definition 2024


translucent

translucent

English

Adjective

translucent (comparative more translucent, superlative most translucent)

  1. Allowing light to pass through, but diffusing it.
    • 1913, Louis Joseph Vance, The Day of Days, ch. 1:
      The window-panes, encrusted with perennial deposits of Atmosphere, were less transparent than translucent.
    • 1921, P. G. Wodehouse, Jill the Reckless, ch. 21:
      On the windows of the nearer buildings the sun cast glittering beams, but further away a faint, translucent mist hid the city.
  2. Clear, lucid, or transparent.
    • 1884, Henry J. Ramsdell, Life and Public Services of Hon. James G. Blaine, Hubbard, pp. 105-106:
      Mr. Blaine's powers and disposition shone resplendent. . . . the gavel in his practised hand, chiming in with varied tones that aptly enforced his words, from the sharp rat-tat-tat that recalled the House to decorum, to the vigorous thunder that actually drowned unparliamentary speech; rulings, repartee, translucent explanation flashing from his lips as quick as lighting.
    • 1904, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, The Club of Queer Trades, ch. 4:
      "I was startled at your not seeing it from the beginning. The man is a translucent liar and knave."
    • 1919, Joseph A. Altsheler, The Lords of the Wild, ch. 3:
      [T]he sun was in its greatest splendor, and the air was absolutely translucent. The lake and the mountains sprang out, sharp and clear.

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Latin

Verb

trānslūcent

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of trānslūceō