opaque
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Etymology
From Latin opacus (“‘shaded, shady, dark’”), itself of unknown origin, originally spelled opake, and in the 17th century respelled after the cognate French opaque.
[edit] Adjective
opaque (comparative more opaque, superlative most opaque)
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Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
- neither reflecting nor emitting light .
- allowing little light to pass through, not translucent or transparent.
- (metaphor) unclear, unintelligible, hard to get or explain the meaning of
- (metaphor) obtuse, stupid.
- (computing) describes a type for which higher-level callers have no knowledge of data values or their representations; all operations are carried out by the type's defined abstract operators.
[edit] Antonyms
- (physically): see-through, translucent, transparent
- (metaphorically): clear, obvious, bright, brilliant
[edit] Usage notes
- The comparative opaquer and superlative opaquest, though formed following valid rules for English, are much less common than more opaque and most opaque and seem to occur more frequently in poetry.
[edit] Translations
hindering light to pass through
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[edit] Related terms
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- “opaque” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001
- Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967
[edit] Verb
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Infinitive |
Third person singular |
Simple past |
Past participle |
Present participle |
to opaque (third-person singular simple present opaques, present participle opaquing, simple past and past participle opaqued)
- (transitive) To make, render (more) opaque.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] French
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Etymology
From Latin opacus 'shaded, shady, dark', itself of unknown origin.
