English Explanatory Dictionary

illuminate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To shine light on something.
  2. To decorate something with lights.
  3. To clarify or make something understandable.
  4. To decorate the page of a manuscript book with ornamental designs.
  5. To make spectacular.
  6. To glow; to light up.
  7. To be exposed to light.
  8. To direct a radar beam toward.
adj
  1. Enlightened, illuminated, made bright.
  2. Enlightened spiritually, divinely taught or inspired; in technical use, converted, baptized.
  3. Learned, erudite.
noun
  1. Someone thought to have an unusual degree of enlightenment.

Pronunciation

/ɪˈl(j)umɪneɪt/ /ɪˈl(j)uməneɪt/ en-us-illuminate.ogg en-au-illuminate.ogg /ɪˈl(j)umɪnət/

Word forms

illuminate illuminates illuminating illuminated more illuminate most illuminate

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

enlighten illumine quill shine alight beshine bright fire illume illuminate irradiate light lighten light up luster lustrate shed light on belight bring home clarify elucidate explicitize sort out straighten out illustrate gleam

Antonyms

endarken

Related words

luminous lumens

Derived words

counterilluminate disilluminate illuminative illuminator interilluminate preilluminate reilluminate retroilluminate transilluminate
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on I Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary