Word of the Day

: December 9, 2007

limpid

adjective LIM-pid

What It Means

1 a : marked by transparency : pellucid

b : clear and simple in style

2 : absolutely serene and untroubled

limpid in Context

"Autumn leaves float on a limpid stream through which you can see the shadows they cast on the stones below." (Ken Johnson, The Boston Globe, July 8, 2007)

Did You Know?

Since the early 1600s, "limpid" has been used in English to describe things that have the soft clearness of pure water. The aquatic connection is not incidental; language scholars believe that "limpid" probably traces to "lympha," a Latin word meaning "water." That same Latin root is also the source of the word "lymph," the English name for the pale liquid that helps maintain the body's fluid balance and that removes bacteria from tissues.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.