perspicuous

the word perspicuous has a transparent lineage from latin. it is formed from the past participle of perspicere, meaning "to look through, see clearly," which itself is a compound of per- ("through") and specere ("to look"). the literal sense of "seeing through" something evolved metaphorically into the quality of being mentally clear or easily understood. the english adjective, entering the language in the late 15th century, retains this core idea of clarity that allows meaning to be "seen through" without obscurity.

Structure: per (through) + spic (look) + uous (adjective suffix) - per: from latin, meaning "through, thoroughly". - spic: from latin specere ("to look at"), a variant of spicere. - uous: a latin-derived adjective-forming suffix meaning "full of, characterized by".