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Translucency for Dummies

noun


What does Translucency really mean?

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Translucency is a word that we can use to describe something that is not completely transparent, yet it allows some light to pass through it. Imagine you're standing in a room with a big window on a sunny day. When you look outside through the window, you can still see the shapes and maybe even the colors of objects out there, but they might be a little fuzzy or unclear. That's because the glass of the window has a certain level of translucency, which means it allows some light to come through, but not all of it.

Let me give you another example. Have you ever seen a piece of colored plastic? Those colorful sheets that teachers sometimes use for crafts or presentations? Well, some of them are more transparent, meaning they let more light through, while others are less transparent and more translucent. So, if you held up a red translucent sheet of plastic and looked at a light source behind it, you would see a reddish glow coming through, but it wouldn't be as bright or as clear as if you were looking directly at the light without the plastic in front of it. Does that make sense?

Now, let's break down the word translucency even further. It is made up of two parts: "trans-" and "-lucency." The "trans-" part comes from the Latin word 'trans' which means 'across' or 'through.' So, you can think of translucency as something that allows light to go across or through it. The "-lucency" part comes from the Latin word 'lucere' which means 'to shine' or 'to be bright.' So, translucency is related to the brightness or shine of light passing through something, even if it's not completely clear or opaque.

We can also use "translucency" to describe how well we can see through certain materials. For example, if a material is very translucent, it means it allows a lot of light to pass through and we can see objects on the other side fairly clearly. On the other hand, if a material is only slightly translucent, it means it allows some light to pass through, but the objects on the other side may appear blurry or less visible. So, translucency can help us understand how much light is able to pass through an object, and therefore, how well we can see through it.

Overall, translucency is a way to describe the level of transparency of an object or material. It helps us understand how much light can pass through and how well we can see through it. So, the next time you come across something that is not completely transparent but still allows some light to pass through, you can say it has a certain degree of translucency. Pretty cool, right?


Revised and Fact checked by Emily Davis on 2023-10-30 07:01:06

Translucency In a sentece

Learn how to use Translucency inside a sentece

  • When you hold up a piece of tissue paper to a bright light, you can see the light pass through it but you cannot see anything clearly on the other side. This is an example of translucency.
  • Imagine you have a frosted glass window in your room. During the day, sunlight can come through it, but you cannot see any distinct shapes or objects on the other side. That's because the frosted glass has translucency.
  • If you put your hand on a lampshade while the light is on, you will notice that the light shines through it, but your hand appears to have a soft glow rather than being completely visible. This is because the lampshade has a quality of translucency.
  • Have you ever seen those colorful plastic cups that people use during parties? When you pour a drink into one of those cups, you can see the liquid inside, but it looks a bit fuzzy or blurred. That's because the plastic material has translucency.
  • Some leaves in nature have translucent properties. So, if you hold a leaf up to the sunlight, you'll notice that the light can pass through the leaf, creating a glowing effect, but you cannot clearly see what's on the other side.

Translucency Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

Translucency Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.