Translucent means letting light through without letting you see clearly. Translucent glass, a translucent shade, translucent skin.
It sits between transparent, which you can see through, and opaque, which lets nothing through — frosted glass is the standard example. Note the difference from transparent carefully: a translucent window gives light and privacy at once, which is exactly why bathrooms have them. Note translucency; and that the Latin means shining through.
1adjectivetranslucentLetting light through without letting you see clearly.
“Her skin was so pale that it looked almost translucent in the morning light.”
translucent is a quality of light transmission.
Latin translucens is the present participle of translucere, to shine through — trans plus lucere, to shine. Lucid, translucent and elucidate come from the same light.
Latin
trānslūcēns
English, today
translucent
Borrowed from Latin trānslūcēns. From Latin trānslūcentem, accusative of trānslūcēns, present participle of trānslūcēre.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA