Word of the Day

: April 2, 2009

diaphanous

adjective dye-AF-uh-nus

What It Means

1 : of so fine a texture as to be transparent

2 : characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal

3 : insubstantial, vague

diaphanous in Context

The honeymoon suite has a balcony overlooking the ocean and is furnished with an antique four-poster bed enveloped in a diaphanous curtain.

Did You Know?

Can you guess which of the following words come from the same Greek root as "diaphanous"?

A. epiphany	B. fancy	C. phenomenon
D. sycophant	E. emphasis	F. phase

The Greek word "phainein" shows through more clearly in some of our quiz words than others, but it underlies all of them. The groundwork for "diaphanous" was laid when "phainein" (meaning "to show") was combined with "dia-" (meaning "through"). From that pairing came the Greek "diaphanēs," parent of the Medieval Latin "diaphanus," which is the direct ancestor of our English word.