elucidate
/əˈlusəˌdeɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.70 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To make (something) lucid (“bright, luminous; also, clear, transparent”).
Obsolete; Transitive verb
verb
To make (something) clear and understandable; to clarify, to illuminate, to shed light on.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "Let me hear vvhat your ovvn conceptions are of the matter, if they tend to elucidate or reconcile."
- "Dining at Mr. [Samuel] Pepys's, Dr. Slayer shewed us an experiment of a wonderful nature, […] This matter or phosphorus was made out of human blood and urine, elucidating the vital flame or heate in animal bodys."
- "The antiquities of France have been elucidated by a learned and ingenious people: […]"
- "The business however, though not perfectly elucidated by this speech, soon ceased to be a puzzle."
- "Peter elucidateth the Frauds in Literature by a Smock Race."
- "His notes abound with interesting quotations, and have the rare merit of really elucidating the text."
Etymology
From Late Latin ēlūcidātus, perfect passive participle of ēlūcidō (“to lighten, enlighten”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ē(x)- (“out, from”) + lūcidus (“bright, clear, understandable”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), literally “to make light of (something)”, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“bright; to see; to shine”). Compare French élucider.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˈlusəˌdeɪt/
- British English: /ɪˈl(j)uːsɪdeɪt/
Usage
Inflected Forms
elucidates (present, singular)
elucidating (participle, present)
elucidated (participle, past)
elucidated (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
elucidated (first person, past)
elucidatest (archaic, present)
elucidated (past, second person)
elucidatedst (archaic, past)
elucidateth (archaic, present)
elucidated (past, singular)