diaphanous

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments (12)  · 
“
Given the nature of their silk, which is usually diaphanous, and the general scantiness of their garb, and the publicness of their picking up the coins, there is little danger that they could conceal a coin, even if they dared to do so.

View all »
Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. adjective Of such fine texture as to be transparent or translucent: diaphanous tulle.
  2. adjective Characterized by delicacy of form. See Synonyms at airy.
  3. adjective Vague or insubstantial: diaphanous dreams of glory.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (1)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples

  • Coverdale, being merely the medium for impressions of the other characters, is necessarily light and diaphanous, and Hawthorne, finding it more convenient, and an advantage to the lifelikeness of the story, does not attempt to hold him up in the air all the time, but lets him down now and then, and assumes the part himself. —  A Study Of Hawthorne
  • It was diaphanous, and left little doubt as to the lineaments of our figures. —  Kajira Of Gor
  • Later she would not be able to remember what he looked like, forever finding it ironic that someone who had played such a part in her life should have entered and exited as nameless and faceless as a diaphanous apparition. —  From This Beloved Hour
  • Given the nature of their silk, which is usually diaphanous, and the general scantiness of their garb, and the publicness of their picking up the coins, there is little danger that they could conceal a coin, even if they dared to do so. —  Cinnamon Roll
  • He had removed his robe, to reveal his bright white-furred form clad in shorts and some kind of diaphanous shirt. —  The Lives of Felix Gunderson
 

Tags

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

Diaphanous has been looked up 903 times, favorited 9 times, listed 152 times, and commented on 12 times.

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Add a related word »
Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Suggestions Wordniks Suggest

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

filmy ·  gauzy ·  fleecy ·  sleeveless ·  rose-colored ·  iridescent ·  translucent ·  woolen ·  ankle-length ·  frilly ·  flimsy ·  gossamer
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. From Medieval Latin diaphanus, transparent, from Greek diaphanēs, from diaphainein, to be transparent : dia-, dia- + phainein, phan-, to show; see bhā-1 in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. (Cf. French diaphane = Provencal diafan = Spanish diáfano = Portuguese diaphano = Italian diafano) from Greek διαφανής, transparent, from διαφαίνειν, show through, from διά, through, + φαίνειν, show: see fancy = fantasy = phantasy, fantom = phantom.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »
/daɪˈæfənəs/
by American Heritage

Charts
frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word about twice a year.

Recent Lookups

undisputable · eagles · draggle · wert · was

Recent Favorites

metaplasm · emulous · abdicated · pique · mellifluous

Recent Pronunciations

milosrdenstvi · lichen-covered · futon · sagacity · monoragngocious