pellucid

adjective

pel·​lu·​cid pə-ˈlü-səd 

1

: admitting maximum passage of light without diffusion or distortion

a pellucid stream

2

: reflecting light evenly from all surfaces

3

: easy to understand

pellucidly

pə-ˈlü-səd-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Pellucid is formed from Latin per ("through") plus lucidus—a word meaning "lucid, clear" that ultimately derives from the verb lucēre, meaning "to shine." Lucēre has many shining relatives in English. Among them are translucent (essentially, "clear enough to allow light to pass through"), elucidate ("to make clear, explain"), lucent ("luminous" or "clear"), and of course lucid itself (which can mean "shining," "mentally sound," or "easily understood"). Another related word is Lucifer (a name for the devil that literally means "light-bearer"). Other relatives—such as lackluster ("lacking brightness"), illustrate (originally, "to make bright"), and lustrous ("shining" or "radiant")—trace from the related Latin verb lustrare ("to brighten"). Clearly, pellucid is just one of a family of brilliant terms.

Synonyms

• clear
• crystal
• crystal clear
• crystalline
• limpid
• liquid
• lucent
• see-through
• transparent

Examples of pellucid in a Sentence

the pellucid waters that lap upon that island's beaches

her poetry has a pellucid simplicity that betrays none of the sweat that went into writing it

Recent Examples on the Web

As in all his books and essays, Brown’s prose is pellucid, meditative, courteous. —Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 9 June 2023

Later, his industry and his pellucid style gave him other successes, as a writer of slice-of-life novels, an idiosyncratic left-wing polemicist, and a public explainer. —Stephanie Burt, The New Republic, 29 Mar. 2022

The dish is traditionally served cold, but the CheLi chef Wang Lin Qun’s version is pleasantly warm, allowing the pellucid skin to caramelize into an ambrosial crunch. —The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2021

The outer movements mixed thoughtful vigor with pellucid lyricism. —BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2021

Giselle’s signature steps — rocking ballottés and teasing ballonnés and high-kicking grands jeté-passés — were pellucid; the traveling ronds de jambe could hardly have been faster or cleaner. —BostonGlobe.com, 21 Sep. 2019

To reach the restoration site where this crew is working, Silver traversed a realm of perfection: cool, pellucid pools and side channels of Elk Creek, a tributary of the Hoh. —Lynda V. Mapes, The Seattle Times, 27 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

Latin pellucidus, from per through + lucidus lucid — more at for

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

pellucid

adjective

pel·​lu·​cid pə-ˈlü-səd 

: extremely clear or transparent