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elucidate

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elucidate¹

  • /ɪˈl(j)uːsɪdeɪt/ UK
  • /əˈlusəˌdeɪt/ US
  • /i-/ US

Where it comes from

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”). Compare French élucider.

verb elucidates · elucidating · elucidated · elucidate

  1. obsolete, transitive To make (something) lucid (“bright, luminous; also, clear, transparent”).
  2. figuratively, transitive To make (something) clear and understandable; to clarify, to illuminate, to shed light on. Let me hear vvhat your ovvn conceptions are of the matter, if they tend to elucidate or reconcile.

    Similar: explain, explicate

elucidate²

  • /ɪˈl(j)uːsɪdət/ UK
  • /əˈlusəˌdət/ US
  • /i-/ US

Where it comes from

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

adjective more elucidate · most elucidate

  1. obsolete, transitive Clear, understandable. 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 part

    Similar: apparent, arrant, undoubted, glaring, bait, blatant, clear, clear as a bell, clear as day, clear cut, conspicuous, crystal clear · Opposite: adiaphanous, nontransparent, opacous, opacular, opaque, thick

Translations

Every language

verb to make (something) clear and understandable — see also clarify, illuminate, dilucidate

Españolelucidar
中文闡明 /阐明 chǎnmíng, 解釋 /解释 jiěshì, 說明 /说明 shuōmíng
Portuguêselucidar, esclarecer
Françaisélucider, expliquer
Deutscherklären, erläutern, verdeutlichen
Italianochiarire, delucidare
Русскийразъясня́ть razʺjasnjátʹ
עבריתביאר \ בֵּאֵר be'ér, פירש \ פֵּרֵשׁ perésh

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MLA

"elucidate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/elucidate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

elucidate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/elucidate

Chicago

"elucidate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/elucidate.

BibTeX
@misc{elucidate_2026,
  title = {elucidate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/elucidate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}