Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) -
Cite This Source -
Share This il·lus·tra·tion Audio Help / ˌɪl / Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation [ il-uh -strey -shuh ] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1. something that illustrates, as a picture in a book or magazine.
2. a comparison or an example intended for explanation or corroboration.
3. the act or process of illuminating.
4. the act of clarifying or explaining; elucidation.
5. Archaic .
[Origin:
1325–75; ME < L
illustrātiōn- (s. of
illustrātiō ) the act of making vivid, illustrating.
See illustrate , -ion ]
—Synonyms 2 . explication.
See case 1 Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Illustration To learn more about
Illustration visit Britannica.com
© 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
American Heritage Dictionary -
Cite This Source -
Share This il·lus·tra·tion
Audio Help (ĭl'ə-strā'shən) Pronunciation Key
The act of clarifying or explaining.
The state of being clarified or explained.
Material used to clarify or explain. See Synonyms at example .
Visual matter used to clarify or decorate a text.
Obsolete Illumination.il'lus·tra'tion·al adj.
(Download Now or Buy the Book )
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Online Etymology Dictionary -
Cite This Source -
Share This illustration
c.1375, "a spiritual illumination," from O.Fr. illustration, from L. illustrationem (nom. illustratio ) "vivid representation" (in writing), lit. "an enlightening," from illustrare "light up, embellish, distinguish," from in- "in" + lustrare "make bright, illuminate." Mental sense of "act of making clear in the mind" is from 1581. Meaning "an illustrative picture" is from 1816. Illustrate "educate by means of examples," first recorded 1612. Sense of "provide pictures to explain or decorate" is 1638.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet -
Cite This Source -
Share This illustration noun 1. artwork that helps make something clear or attractive 2. showing by example [syn: exemplification ] 3. an item of information that is typical of a class or group; "this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is an example on page 10" [syn: example ] 4. a visual representation (a picture or diagram) that is used make some subject more pleasing or easier to understand
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary -
Cite This Source -
Share This ˌilluˈstration 1 noun
a picture
Example:
coloured illustrations
Arabic: صورَة إيضاحيَّه، رَسْم Chinese (Simplified): 插图 Chinese (Traditional): 插圖 Czech: ilustrace Danish: billede Dutch: afbeelding Estonian: pilt Finnish: kuva French: illustration German: die Abbildung Greek: εικόνα, εικονογράφηση Hungarian: illusztráció Icelandic: mynd(skreyting) Indonesian: gambar Italian: illustrazione
Japanese: さし絵 Korean: 삽화 Latvian: ilustrācija Lithuanian: iliustracija Norwegian: bilde, illustrasjon Polish: ilustracja Portuguese (Brazil): ilustração Portuguese (Portugal): ilustração Romanian: ilustraţie Russian: иллюстрация Slovak: ilustrácia Slovenian: ilustracija Spanish: ilustración Swedish: illustration, bild Turkish: resim
ˌilluˈstration 2 noun
an example
Arabic: مِثال Chinese (Simplified): 例证 Chinese (Traditional): 例證 Czech: příklad Danish: eksempel Dutch: illustratie Estonian: näide Finnish: esimerkki French: exemple German: das Beispiel Greek: παράδειγμα Hungarian: példa Icelandic: dæmi Indonesian: contoh Italian: illustrazione, spiegazione
Japanese: 実例 Korean: 실례 Latvian: piemērs; paskaidrojums Lithuanian: pavyzdys Norwegian: eksempel Polish: przykład Portuguese (Brazil): exemplo Portuguese (Portugal): ilustração Romanian: exemplu Russian: пример Slovak: príklad Slovenian: ilustracija Spanish: ilustración, ejemplo Swedish: exempel Turkish: örnek
ˌilluˈstration 3 noun
the act of illustrating
Arabic: تَوضيح Chinese (Simplified): 图解 Chinese (Traditional): 圖解 Czech: ilustrování Danish: illustration Dutch: het illustreren Estonian: illustreerimine Finnish: kuvittaminen, valaiseminen French: illustration German: die Erläuterung Greek: εικονογράφηση, επεξήγηση Hungarian: szemléltetés, illusztrálás Icelandic: útskÿring (með myndum, *dæmum) Indonesian: ilustrasi Italian: illustrazione
Japanese: 例証 Korean: 예해, 도해 Latvian: ilustrēšana Lithuanian: iliustravimas Norwegian: bruk av bilder, *eksempel Polish: ilustrowanie Portuguese (Brazil): ilustração Portuguese (Portugal): ilustração Romanian: ilustrare Russian: иллюстрирование Slovak: ilustrovanie Slovenian: ilustracija Spanish: ilustración Swedish: illustration, illustrering Turkish: resimleme
See also: illustrated ,
illustrator ,
illustrate
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary -
Cite This Source -
Share This Illustration
Il`lus*tra"tion\, n. [L. illustratio: cf. F. illustration.]
1. The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct; education; also, the state of being illustrated, or of being made clear and distinct.
2. That which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity.
3. A picture designed to decorate a volume or elucidate a literary work.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Browse Nearby Entries: View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web
Share This:
Perform a new search , or try your search for "Illustration" at:
![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
Audio Help [il-uh-strey-shuh
