Illustrate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɪl.jʊˌstɹeɪt/

Definitions

1. To explain or make something clear by using examples, pictures, or diagrams
2. To make an idea more comprehensible by using imagery, examples, or diagrams
3. To provide visual representations or examples that clarify or enhance understanding of a concept or text

Etymology: "Illustrate" is a back-formation: English speakers first had the noun "illustration," and the verb was later carved out of it by dropping the ending. The noun came into English from Latin "illustrare," meaning to light up or make bright, which in turn joined "in-" (upon, into) with "lustrare," to make bright or purify. That Latin verb is itself linked to "lustrum," a ritual purification, though the exact relationship is debated among scholars, so the sense of "light" rather than "shine on" is the one to keep in view. The literal sense of "making bright" is what the word carried for centuries. Early English uses meant to brighten or make famous, and to render glorious, rather than to explain. The shift toward clarifying a point with pictures or examples came as the noun "illustration" grew to mean a picture or diagram accompanying text, so that to illustrate a book was to supply those pictures, and from there to illuminate an idea with examples.

Synonyms: depict, represent, show, clarify, explain

Antonyms: confuse, obscure