opaque
/oʊˈpeɪk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.37 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Neither reflecting nor emitting light.
adj
Allowing little light to pass through, not translucent or transparent.
adj
Unclear, unintelligible, hard to get or explain the meaning of.
adj
Describes a data 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.
noun
Something which is opaque rather than translucent.
Example Sentences
- "We have agreed that heat is energy to begin with. Light is also a form of energy for when absorbed by any opaque substance it turns completely into heat."
- "Through this opaque of Nature and of Soul, / This double night, transmit one pitying ray, / To lighten, and to cheer."
- "They can be obtained in various thicknesses and in many colors, including beautiful imitations of pearl, mother-of-pearl, veins and mottles, stratifications, roll stratifications, imitation corals, and all colors of translucents, transparents and opaques, grained ivory, shell (plain and corrugated mottle), onyx, wood effects, plaids, checks, stripes, metallic, bronze pearl plain, bronze pearl with fancy blocks, bronze pearl in veins and stripes, and what is called “essence pearl.”"
Etymology
From Middle English opake, from Latin opacus (“shaded, shady, dark”) (of unknown origin), later reinforced from Middle French opaque. Doublet of ubac.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /oʊˈpeɪk/
- British English: /əʊˈpeɪk/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more opaque (comparative)
opaquer (comparative)
most opaque (superlative)
opaquest (superlative)
opake (alternative, obsolete)
opaques (plural)
opaques (present, singular)
opaquing (participle, present)
opaqued (participle, past)
opaqued (past)