perspicuous

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin perspicuus, in turn from perspiciō (“see through”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəˈspɪkjuːəs/
• IPA^(key): /pɚˈspɪkjuːəs/

Adjective

perspicuous (comparative more perspicuous, superlative most perspicuous)

1. Clearly expressed, easy to understand; lucid.
   • 1776, Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, Book I, Chapter 4,

     I am always willing to run some hazard of being tedious in order to be sure that I am perspicuous […]

2. (logic) Of a language or notation, such as that of formal propositional calculus: where the process of inference from premises to conclusion is explicitly laid out.
3. (rare) Transparent; translucent.

Synonyms

• (clearly expressed): See also Thesaurus:comprehensible
• (transparent): See also Thesaurus:transparent

Antonyms

• (clearly expressed): See also Thesaurus:incomprehensible
• (transparent): See also Thesaurus:opaque
• imperspicuous

Derived terms

• perspicuously
• perspicuousness

Related terms

Related terms

• perspicuity
• perspicacious
• perspicaciously

• perspicacity
• perspective

Translations

clearly expressed

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 明白 (zh) (mingbai)

• Dutch: duidelijk (nl), begrijpelijk (nl), klaar (nl)
• Greek: σαφής (el) (safís)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 명백한 (myeongbaekhan)
• Latin: perspicuus
• Spanish: perspicuo m, perspicua f

logic: explicitly laid out

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “perspicuous”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.