diaphanous

diaphanous

Audio pronunciation

 
adjective|dye-AF-uh-nus
 
What It Means
 
Diaphanous is a formal word used to describe fabric of a texture so fine that one can see through it. Diaphanous is also sometimes used figuratively to describe something characterized by extreme delicacy of form.
 
// The bride looked radiant in her floor-length gown and diaphanous veil.
 
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Examples of DIAPHANOUS
 
"With a bright pattern set on flaming crimson and a diaphanous petticoat underneath, the dress fits her perfectly." — David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
 




 
Did You Know?
 
What do the words diaphanous, epiphany, fancy, phenomenon, sycophant, emphasis, and phase all have in common? The Greek word pha;nein shows more clearly in some of these words than in others, but it underlies all of them. The groundwork for diaphanous was laid when pha;nein (meaning "to bring to light, cause to appear") was combined with the prefix dia- (meaning "through"). From that pairing came the Greek diaphan;s ("transparent"), parent of the Medieval Latin diaphanus, which is the direct ancestor of the English word.