• Today's Word

Diaphanous

🔊 Listen to the word Diaphanous

dy-AF-uh-nus

Definition

(adjective) Light, delicate, and translucent; so fine in texture as to be nearly transparent

Example

The diaphanous curtains billowed in the breeze, letting the morning light pour softly into the room.

Word Origin

Diaphanous comes from the Medieval Latin diaphanus, itself from the Greek diaphanes — from dia (“through”) + phainein (“to show” or “to appear”). It entered English in the early 17th century, originally used to describe fine fabrics and minerals that allowed light to pass through them visibly.

Fun Fact

Diaphanous has been a darling of poets and fashion writers for centuries — it appears frequently in descriptions of silk, chiffon, and gauze, as well as in nature writing to describe things like jellyfish, dragonfly wings, and morning mist. Interestingly, it shares its Greek root phainein with the word phenomenon — meaning both words trace back to the idea of something making itself visible or appearing to the eye.