'Translucent' is Latin for 'shining through' — from 'trans-' + 'lucere' (to shine). Light passes, images do not.
Allowing light to pass through but diffusing it so that objects on the other side are not clearly visible. Semi-transparent.
From Latin translucens, translucent- (shining through), present participle of translucēre (to shine through, to be visible through a medium), built from trans- (through, across) + lucēre (to shine, to be bright), from lux, lucis (light). Latin lux descends from PIE *lewk- (light, brightness), the same root that gives Greek leukos (white, bright), Sanskrit roci (light), and Old English lēoht (light). The prefix trans- (PIE *terh2-, to cross) adds directionality: not merely shining but shining through a barrier. Translucent material neither blocks light entirely nor transmits
The distinction between 'translucent' and 'transparent' is a matter of physics. Transparent materials transmit light without scattering it — you can see clearly through glass. Translucent materials scatter the light as it passes through — frosted glass lets light in but you cannot see distinct shapes. The Latin