Link Centre Dictionary

illuminate

il·lu·mi·nate

US/ɪˈl(j)umɪnət/ uncommon archaic obsolete

verb

1.

make lighter or brighter

  • “This lamp lightens the room a bit”
Synonyms
2.

make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear

  • “Could you clarify these remarks?”
  • “Clear up the question of who is at fault”
Synonyms
3.

Origin

From Middle English illuminaten, borrowed from Latin illūminātus, perfect passive participle of illūminō (“lighten, light up, show off”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from in + lūminō (“light up”), from lūmen (“light”). Cognate with Old English lȳman (“to glow, shine”). More at leam.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.