Diaphane
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Something transparent. countable, uncountable
"The corporal nature is deuided into bright and ſhining bodies, as earth and metalles: Eyther into Diaphane or tranſparent bodyes, as ayre and water."
- 2 A woven silk stuff with transparent and colored figures. countable, uncountable
- 3 Essence or nature as encapsulated in a mental construct. countable, uncountable
"The figure of the diaphane, "this clear crystal nature," is a person so perfect that his simple presence would do more for the world than others manage to do through their actions."
Example
More examples"The corporal nature is deuided into bright and ſhining bodies, as earth and metalles: Eyther into Diaphane or tranſparent bodyes, as ayre and water."
Etymology
From Middle French diaphane, from Medieval Latin diaphanus (“diaphanous”), from Ancient Greek διαφανής (diaphanḗs), from δια- (dia-, “through”) and φαίνω (phaínō, “show”); by surface analysis, dia- + -phane.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.