opaque

== English == === Alternative forms === opake (archaic) === Etymology === From Middle English opake, from Latin opacus (“shaded, shady, dark”) (of unknown origin), later reinforced from Middle French opaque. Doublet of ubac. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əʊˈpeɪk/ (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /oʊˈpeɪk/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /əʉˈpæɪk/, [ɐʉˈpæɪk] (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ɐʉˈpæɪk/ Rhymes: -eɪk === Adjective === opaque (comparative more opaque or opaquer, superlative most opaque or opaquest) (see usage notes) Neither reflecting nor emitting light. Allowing little light to pass through, not translucent or transparent. (figuratively) Unclear, unintelligible, hard to get or explain the meaning of. (figuratively) 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. ==== 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. Most opaque has been more common than opaquest for at least two centuries and 50 to 100 times more common in the last two decades, according to this Google Ngram comparison. ==== Antonyms ==== (antonym(s) of “physically”): see-through, translucent, transparent (antonym(s) of “figuratively”): clear, obvious, oblique, bright, brilliant ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== opacity ==== Translations ==== === Noun === opaque (plural opaques) (obsolete, poetic) An area of darkness; a place or region with no light. Something which is opaque rather than translucent. Coordinate terms: translucent, transparent ==== Translations ==== === Verb === opaque (third-person singular simple present opaques, present participle opaquing, simple past and past participle opaqued) (transitive) To make, render (more) opaque. ==== Synonyms ==== blur cloud ==== Translations ==== === See also === translucent === References === Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “opaque”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. “opaque” in Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary: Based on Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 7th edition, Springfield, Mass.: G[eorge] & C[harles] Merriam, 1963 (1967 printing), →OCLC. == French == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin opācus (“shaded, shady, dark”), itself of unknown origin. Doublet of ubac. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɔ.pak/ === Adjective === opaque (plural opaques) opaque Antonyms: transparent, translucide ==== Derived terms ==== opacifier opacification opacité opaquement ==== Descendants ==== → Romanian: opac → Turkish: opak === Further reading === “opaque”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Middle French == === Adjective === opaque m or f (plural opaques) opaque == Spanish == === Verb === opaque inflection of opacar: first/third-person singular present subjunctive third-person singular imperative