Nearby Words

enlightening

[en-lahyt-n] Origin

en·light·en

[en-lahyt-n]
verb (used with object)
1.
to give intellectual or spiritual light to; instruct; impart knowledge to: We hope the results of our research will enlighten our colleagues.
2.
Archaic. to shed light upon.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English enli(g)htenen. See en-1, lighten1

en·light·ened·ly, adverb
en·light·ened·ness, noun
en·light·en·er, noun
en·light·en·ing·ly, adverb
non·en·light·ened, adjective
EXPAND
non·en·light·en·ing, adjective
pre·en·light·en, verb (used with object)
pre·en·light·en·er, noun
re·en·light·en, verb (used with object)
un·en·light·ened, adjective
un·en·light·en·ing, adjective
well-en·light·ened, adjective
COLLAPSE


1. illumine, edify, teach, inform.


1. mystify, confuse, perplex, puzzle.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Enlightening is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
enlighten (ɪnˈlaɪtən)
 
vb
1.  to give information or understanding to; instruct; edify
2.  to free from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition
3.  to give spiritual or religious revelation to
4.  poetic to shed light on
 
en'lightener
 
n
 
en'lightening
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

enlighten
late 14c. (O.E. had inlihtan), "to remove the dimness or blindness (usually figurative) from one's eyes or heart," from en- + lighten. Related: Enlightened; enlightening.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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