Epiphanize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To experience a sudden moment of understanding or clarity, often involving a new and striking insight
2. To reach a clear or profound realization quickly, usually about a complex idea or personal situation
3. To suddenly comprehend something important or previously unclear, resulting in an enlightening awareness

Etymology: Long before it meant a sudden flash of understanding, "epiphany" was a religious term. It comes from Greek "epiphaneia," meaning "manifestation" or "appearance," from "epiphainein," "to show forth." In the Christian calendar, the Epiphany commemorates the revealing of Christ to the Magi. The sense of a sudden, illuminating insight came later, most famously through James Joyce, who used the noun for moments when the true nature of an ordinary thing suddenly becomes clear. "Epiphanize" is formed by adding the verb-making suffix "-ize" to that noun. The suffix comes from Greek "-izein," which turned nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning "to make into" or "to treat in a certain way." Used as a verb, it means to have such a sudden realization.

Synonyms: reveal, disclose, unveil, manifest, clarify