Adjacent Words

Illuminate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ILLU'MINATE, v.t. [See Illume.] To enlighten; to throw light on; to supply with light. [This word is used in poetry or prose.]
1. To adorn with festal lamps or bonfires.
2. To enlighten intellectually with knowledge or grace. Hebrews 10.
3. To adorn with pictures, portraits and other paintings; as, to illuminate manuscripts or books, according to ancient practice.
4. To illustrate; to throw light on, as on obscure subjects.
ILLU'MINATE, a. Enlightened.
ILLU'MINATE, n. One of a sect of heretics pretending to possess extraordinary light and knowledge.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make lighter or brighter; "This lamp lightens the room a bit" [syn: light, illume, illumine, light up, illuminate]
2: make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear; "Could you clarify these remarks?"; "Clear up the question of who is at fault" [syn: clear, clear up, shed light on, crystallize, crystallise, crystalize, crystalise, straighten out, sort out, enlighten, illuminate, elucidate]
3: add embellishments and paintings to (medieval manuscripts)

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Date: 15th century 1. archaic brightened with light 2. archaic intellectually or spiritually enlightened II. transitive verb (-nated; -nating) Etymology: Middle English, from Latin illuminatus, past participle of illuminare, from in- + luminare to light up, from lumin-, lumen light — more at luminary Date: 15th century 1. a. to enlighten spiritually or intellectually b. (1) to supply or brighten with light (2) to make luminous or shining c. archaic to set alight d. to subject to radiation 2. a. to make clear ; elucidate b. to bring to the fore ; highlight <a crisis can illuminate how interdependent we all are> 3. to make illustrious or resplendent 4. to decorate (as a manuscript) with gold or silver or brilliant colors or with often elaborate designs or miniature pictures • illuminatingly adverb • illuminator noun III. noun Date: 1600 archaic one having or claiming unusual enlightenment

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 light up; make bright. 2 decorate (buildings etc.) with lights as a sign of festivity. 3 decorate (an initial letter, a manuscript, etc.) with gold, silver, or brilliant colours. 4 help to explain (a subject etc.). 5 enlighten spiritually or intellectually. 6 shed lustre on. Derivatives: illuminating adj. illuminatingly adv. illumination n. illuminative adj. illuminator n. Etymology: L illuminare (as IN-(2), lumen luminis light)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Illuminate Il*lu"mi*nate, v. i. To light up in token or rejoicing.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Illuminate Il*lu"mi*nate, a. [L. illuminatus, p. p.] Enlightened. --Bp. Hall.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Illuminate Il*lu"mi*nate, n. One who enlightened; esp., a pretender to extraordinary light and knowledge.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Illuminate Il*lu"mi*nate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Illuminated; p. pr. & vb. n. Illuminating.] [L. illuminatus, p. p. of illuminare; pref. il- in + luminare to enlighten, fr. lumen light. See Luminous, and cf. Illume, Illumine, Enlimn, Limn.] 1. To make light; to throw light on; to supply with light, literally or figuratively; to brighten. 2. To light up; to decorate with artificial lights, as a building or city, in token of rejoicing or respect. 3. To adorn, as a book or page with borders, initial letters, or miniature pictures in colors and gold, as was done in manuscripts of the Middle Ages. 4. To make plain or clear; to dispel the obscurity to by knowledge or reason; to explain; to elucidate; as, to illuminate a text, a problem, or a duty.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(illuminates, illuminating, illuminated) 1. To illuminate something means to shine light on it and to make it brighter and more visible. (FORMAL) No streetlights illuminated the street... VERB: V n 2. If you illuminate something that is unclear or difficult to understand, you make it clearer by explaining it carefully or giving information about it. (FORMAL) They use games and drawings to illuminate their subject. VERB: V n • illuminating His autobiography provides an illuminating insight into his mind. ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Light, illumine, illume, supply with light. 2. Adorn with lights (as a building), light up. 3. Adorn with colored letters. 4. Enlighten, illumine, make wise, instruct, inspire, give insight.

Moby Thesaurus

account for, adorn, affect, allegorize, apply paint, beacon, bead, bedaub, bedizen, begild, bejewel, beribbon, besmear, bespangle, betoken, better, brandish, breathe, brighten, brighten up, bring forth, bring forward, bring into view, bring out, bring to notice, brush on paint, calcimine, clarify, clear, clear up, coat, color, complexion, construe, cover, crack, dab, dangle, daub, decipher, decorate, deep-dye, define, demonstrate, demythologize, develop, diamond, dip, disclose, display, distemper, divulge, double-dye, dramatize, dye, edify, elucidate, embellish, emblazon, embody, enact, enamel, engild, engrave, enlighten, ennoble, euhemerize, evidence, evince, exalt, exemplify, exhibit, explain, explain away, explicate, expose to view, exposit, expound, express, face, fast-dye, feather, figure, filigree, finish, fire, flag, flaunt, flood with light, floodlight, flounce, flourish, flower, fresco, garland, gem, gild, give reason for, give sign, give the meaning, give token, glaze, gloss, grain, highlight, hue, ignite, illume, illumine, illustrate, imbue, improve, incarnate, indicate, ingrain, interpret, irradiate, japan, jewel, kindle, lacquer, lay on color, light, light up, lighten, luminate, make clear, make plain, manifest, materialize, mature, mean, ornament, overshine, paint, parade, parget, perfect, perform, pigment, plume, polish, popularize, present, prime, produce, rationalize, refine, relume, relumine, represent, reveal, ribbon, roll out, set forth, shade, shadow, shed light upon, shellac, shine upon, show, show forth, show how, show the way, simplify, slop on paint, smear, solve, spangle, spell out, spotlight, stain, stipple, throw light upon, tinct, tincture, tinge, tinsel, tint, token, tone, trot out, undercoat, unfold, unlock, unravel, uplift, varnish, wash, wave, whitewash, wreathe