opacifyv.
/ə(ʊ)ˈpasᵻfʌɪ/, U.S. /oʊˈpæsəˌfaɪ/ rare before mid 20th cent.
1. intransitive. Esp. of the lens of the eye: to become opaque.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > transparency or translucence > opacity > become opaque [verb (intransitive)]
opacify1877
1877 New Englander (New Haven, Connecticut) 36 33 We are told then that Electricity, opacifying from a nebulous condition, becomes or produces a primitive atom.
1954 S. Duke-Elder Parsons' Dis. Eye (ed. 12) ii. 24 If either of these membranes [of the cornea] is disrupted, fluid is absorbed and the tissue opacifies.
1967 Amer. Jrnl. Roentgenol. 100 410/2 The fluid-filled fundus of the stomach..opacifies during abdominal aortography.
1971 Nature 12 Mar. 120/2 Corneas rapidly opacified and swelled with the first enzyme digestion after the initial irradiation.
1992 Internat. Jrnl. Food Sci. & Nutrition 43 155/1 The human crystalline lens opacifies with advancing age, resulting in the formation of cataracts.
2. transitive. To make opaque.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > transparency or translucence > opacity > render opaque [verb (transitive)]
opacate1660
nubilatea1697
opaque1718
opacify1940
1940 Chem. Abstr. 24 4268 (heading) Paper opacified with calcium carbonate.
1955 P. D. Trevor-Roper Ophthalmol. xxiii. 413 Post-operative uveitis may opacify the posterior corneal layers.
1971 Country Life 6 May 1084/1 Milk-white glass opacified with arsenic displays a fiery opalescence if held to the light.
2000 Jrnl. Telemedicine & Telecare 6 117/2 The image quality was sufficient to identify the catheter and vessels opacified with the contrast medium.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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