translucence means the state of being translucent. It carries an Arena rating of 1744, earned across 26 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, translucence ranks #919 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,558 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,331 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,614 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
Why “translucence” is a great word
TRANSLUCENCE — [Noun] The state or quality of allowing light to pass through diffusely so that objects on the other side are not clearly visible. From Middle English translucence, from Medieval Latin trānslūcentia, from Latin trānslūcēns, present participle of trānslūcēre ("to shine through"), from trans- ("through") + lūcēre ("to shine"). First recorded in English in the early 15th century. Unlike "transparency," which promises a stark revelation, or "opacity," which declares an absolute refusal, translucence is the art of the softened boundary. It is the milky membrane of an alabaster lampshade, the skin of a soap bubble moments before it bursts, and the breath-fogged pane of a winter train window—the quiet grace of seeing light, but never the whole truth.
Etymology
From Middle English translucence, from Medieval Latin trānslūcentia.
noun
- the state of being translucent
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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