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pellucid

UK[pəˈluː.sɪd]US[pəˈluː.sɪd]
adj

(of language or meaning) extremely clear; easy to understand.

adj

(literary) allowing light to pass through; transparent.

Morpheme Breakdown

per
lucid
per

through

lucid

clear

Etymology

The word pellucid is a direct borrowing from the Latin pellucidus, itself a combination of the intensive prefix per- (meaning "through") and lucidus (meaning "clear" or "bright"). The Latin lucidus stems from the verb lucere, "to shine," which is ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root leuk-, meaning "light" or "brightness." The original literal sense was "allowing light to shine through completely," describing a perfectly transparent material. Over time, this physical clarity was metaphorically extended to describe intellectual or linguistic clarity, where an explanation or style is so clear that meaning shines through without obstruction.

Analysis

Structure: per (through) + lucid (clear) - per: A Latin prefix meaning "through, thoroughly, completely." - lucid: From Latin lucidus, meaning "clear, bright, shining." It is derived from lucere, "to shine."

Examples

The author's pellucid prose makes complex philosophical ideas accessible to a general audience.

We swam in the pellucid waters of the tropical lagoon.

Her explanation was pellucid, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

pellucid – Meaning, Etymology & Word Origin | OpenEtymology