What It Means
Diaphanous is a formal word used to describe fabric of a texture so fine that one can see through it. Diaphanous is also sometimes used figuratively to describe something characterized by extreme delicacy of form.
The bride looked radiant in her floor-length gown and diaphanous veil.
Diaphanous in Context
“With a bright pattern set on flaming crimson and a diaphanous petticoat underneath, the dress fits her perfectly.” — David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Did You Know?
What do the words diaphanous, epiphany, fancy, phenomenon, sycophant, emphasis, and phase all have in common? The Greek word phaínein shows more clearly in some of these words than in others, but it underlies all of them. The groundwork for diaphanous was laid when phaínein (meaning “to bring to light, cause to appear”) was combined with the prefix dia- (meaning “through”). From that pairing came the Greek diaphanḗs (“transparent”), parent of the Medieval Latin diaphanus, which is the direct ancestor of the English word.
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