Pellucid

adjective

exceptionally transparent
reflecting light evenly over an entire surface
easily understood, straightforward
(Music or Sound) coherent and undiluted in tone

Usage

Pellucid is most commonly used to describe something that is translucent. The word can refer to objects with surfaces that are unobstructed in texture and appearance, like a glass cup or plastic wrap. An object is pellucid if it is spotless and easily seen through.

Another application of pellucid describes an object's ability to reflect light from its surface. Crystals and bodies of water are perfect examples of this luminary phenomenon. Anything with strong reflectivity can be described as pellucid.

Pellucid can also refer to the clarity of a subject or explanation. When someone writes directions in detail, the writing is pellucid. If a person speaks in a straightforward manner and says exactly what they mean, then they are speaking in a pellucid way.

A subject specific use of pellucid can be found in music. When a sound from an instrument or voice is uninterrupted and pure, the sound is pellucid. In singing, this can relate to diction and projection. Relating to sounds in general, pellucid noises can be heard completely and distinctly without the enhancement of any aspect of tone through editing software or equipment.

Example: The manager reminded the dishwashers not to put the glasses away until they were completely pellucid.

Example: The sunlight was almost blinding as it reflected off the pellucid lake.

Example: Usually she would have asked many questions, but the pellucid nature of the statement explained everything.

Example: He was ranked top in his category because the judges adored his diction and pellucid singing.

Derivative Words

Pellucidity is the noun form of pellucid, used to reference a quality of clarity.

Example: The pellucidity of the glass cup reassured him that he had cleaned it properly.

Pellucidness, another noun form of pellucid, describes the level of coherence in an object or sound.

Example: The pellucidness of her voice as she sang enhanced the musical performance.

Pellucidly is the adverb form of pellucid; it describes any action done in a straightforward manner.

Example: The teacher explained the instructions pellucidly, so the students had no trouble completing the task.

Similar Words

A similar word to pellucid is Lucid, which can also mean "easily understood" and is also a derivative of the Latin lucere. However, lucid is associated with rationality, awareness in a dream, or the luminosity of an object. Lucid tends to be related to the clearness of a thought, whereas pellucid usually refers to the clearness of an object or action.

Origin

Pellucid first appeared in English near the beginning of the seventeenth century. The word takes its roots from the Latin pellucidus, meaning "translucent." Pellucidius, in turn, is derived from the word pellucere, which describes the ability of light to shine through objects (per means "through" and lucere means "to shine"). This reflects the most common definitions of pellucid, as they describe easily seen through objects or the ability to let light shine evenly over a surface.

Literary Reference

From Laura Riding Jackson's The Failure of Poetry, the Promise of Language:

Much of the magical effect that poetry gives of rendering everything it touches pellucid
comes from the necessity of compression that it imposes.

Here, pellucid is being applied to showcase how clear poetry can make things seem. Pellucid is used to describe the coherency and sincerity of poems' messages.

Mnemonic

Pelican's reflection on pellucid waters.