Elicits

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To provoke a reaction or response from another individual
2. To cause a person to give a reaction or answer
3. To bring forth or evoke a reply or feeling from someone

Etymology: "Elicits" is the third-person singular present form of "elicit", so the core story belongs to the verb itself. The verb comes from Latin "eliciō", built from "ex-" meaning "out" and "lacere", an old form related to "lacere" meaning "to entice" or "to lure" in the sense of drawing something out of a place. The Latin sense was literal: to draw forth, as with a spring of water or a spark struck from flint. English borrowed the verb from the Latin past participle "elicitus", so the English word took on the notion of coaxing something out of hiding. A question elicits an answer, a remark elicits a laugh, and a witness may be asked questions that elicit a confession. The metaphor carries the original picture of pulling something up from below the surface, which is why the word suits responses that seem to emerge from someone under pressure or prompting.

Synonyms: evokes, draws out, brings forth, procures, extracts

Antonyms: suppress, repress, stifle, quash, dissuade