elucidate

From Late Latin ēlūcidātus, perfect passive participle of ēlūcidō (“to lighten, enlighten”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ē(x)- (“out, from”) +‎ lūcidus (“bright, clear, understandable”) +‎ -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), literally “to make light of (something)”, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“bright; to see; to shine”).^[1] Compare French élucider.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪˈl(j)uːsɪdeɪt/

• Audio (Received Pronunciation):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈlusəˌdeɪt/, /i-/
• Hyphenation: eluc‧id‧ate

elucidate (third-person singular simple present elucidates, present participle elucidating, simple past and past participle elucidated) (transitive)

1. (obsolete) To make (something) lucid (“bright, luminous; also, clear, transparent”).
2. (figurative) To make (something) clear and understandable; to clarify, to illuminate, to shed light on.

   Synonyms: explain, explicate

   • 1675, Richard Baxter, “The Second Book. The Fifth Days Conference with an Arminian of Mans Natural Sinfulness and Impotency to Good, and of Free-will.”, in Richard Baxter’s Catholick Theologie: […], London: […] Robert White, for Nevill Simmons […], →OCLC, page 88:

     Let me hear vvhat your ovvn conceptions are of the matter, if they tend to elucidate or reconcile.

   • 1685 December 23 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 13 December 1685]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, →OCLC, page 620:

     Dining at Mr. [Samuel] Pepys's, Dr. Slayer shewed us an experiment of a wonderful nature, […] This matter or phosphorus was made out of human blood and urine, elucidating the vital flame or heate in animal bodys.

   • a. 1795 (date written), Edward Gibbon, “An Address, &c.”, in John Lord Sheffield [i.e., John Baker Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield], editor, Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esquire. […], volume II, London: […] A[ndrew] Strahan, and T[homas] Cadell Jun. and W[illiam] Davies, (successors to Mr. [Thomas] Cadell), […], published 1796, →OCLC, page 712:

     The antiquities of France have been elucidated by a learned and ingenious people: […]

   • 1803 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter XIII, in Northanger Abbey; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC, page 237:

     The business however, though not perfectly elucidated by this speech, soon ceased to be a puzzle.

   • 1812, Peter Pindar [pseudonym; John Wolcot], “Nil Admirari; or, A Smile at a Bishop; […]. Argument.”, in The Works of Peter Pindar, Esq. […], new edition, volume IV, London: […] J[ohn] Walker, G. Wilkie and J. Robinson, G. Robinson, […]; and G. Goulding and Co. […], →OCLC, page 272:

     Peter elucidateth the Frauds in Literature by a Smock Race.

   • 1825 August, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “[John] Milton. […]”, in Critical and Historical Essays, Contributed to the Edinburgh Review. […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: […] Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 2:

     His notes abound with interesting quotations, and have the rare merit of really elucidating the text.

   • 1840 March, John Stuart Mill, “Coleridge”, in Dissertations and Discussions Political, Philosophical, and Historical […], volume I, London: John W[illiam] Parker and Son, […], published 1859, →OCLC, page 409:

     [W]e find no need of, and no use for, the peculiar technical terminology which he and his masters the Germans have introduced into philosophy, […] which this language, in our judgment, serves not to elucidate, but to disguise and obscure.

   • 1872, Charles Darwin, “Introduction”, in The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 5:

     [A]s it is known that he [Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne] was eminently successful in elucidating the physiology of the muscles of the hand by the aid of electricity, it is probably that he is generally in the right about the muscles of the face.

   • 1960 April 4, “Medicine: Unmasking the Brain”, in Time‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 8 October 2010:

     [P]hysicians at the annual meeting of the American Academy of General Practice were fascinated by a 3-ft. model showing the brain's components in 20 layers of translucent plastic, and wired for colored lights to elucidate some of its workings.

   • 1961 July, “New Reading on Railways: The Locomotives of the South Eastern & Chatham Railway, by D. L. Bradley”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page vii:

     Another appendix elucidates the S.E.C.R. headcode system.

   • 2004 April 13, David Bernstein, “Philosophy hitches a ride with ‘The Sopranos’”, in The New York Times‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 August 2023:

     The new Sopranos volume has 17 essays that examine the television show and elucidate concepts from classical philosophers, including Aristotle, [Niccolò] Machiavelli, [Friedrich] Nietzsche, Sun Tzu and Plato.

   • 2005, Guru Gobind Singh, “Akal Ustat: Eulogy of the Non-temporal Lord”, in Surindar Singh Kohli, transl., The Dasam Granth = ਸ੍ਰੀ ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ [Shrī Dasama Grantha Sāhiba]: The Second Scripture of the Sikhs, New Delhi: Ashok Jain for Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, published 2020, →ISBN, page 39, column 2:

     O Lord! somewhere Thou elucidatest the traits of song and sound and somewhere Thou art the treasure of dancing and painting.

From Late Latin ēlūcidātus (“lightened, enlightened”), see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.^[2]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪˈl(j)uːsɪdət/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈlusəˌdət/, /i-/
• Hyphenation: eluc‧id‧ate

elucidate (comparative more elucidate, superlative most elucidate)

1. (obsolete) Clear, understandable.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:obvious

   Antonyms: see Thesaurus:opaque

   • a. 1671 (date written), John Hacket, Scrinia Reserata: A Memorial Offer’d to the Great Deservings of John Williams, D.D. […], part I, In the Savoy [London]: […] Edw[ard] Jones, for Samuel Lowndes, […], published 1693, →OCLC, paragraph 46, page 39:

     There vvas not a greater Maſter of Perſpicuity, and elucidate Diſtinctions; vvhich look'd the better in his [John Williams'] Engliſh, that ran ſvveet upon his Tongue, eſpecially being ſet out vvith a graceful Facetiouſneſs, that hit the joint of the Matter: For his VVit, and his Judgment, never parted.

elucidate

1. inflection of elucidare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

elucidate f pl

1. feminine plural of elucidato

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [eː.ɫuː.kɪˈdaː.tɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [e.lu.t͡ʃiˈd̪aː.t̪e]

ēlūcidāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of ēlūcidō

elucidate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of elucidar combined with te