Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
illuminate - 6 dictionary results

il⋅lu⋅mi⋅nate

  [v. i-loo-muh-neyt; adj., n. i-loo-muh-nit, -neyt] verb, -nat⋅ed, -nat⋅ing, adjective, noun
Use illuminate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to supply or brighten with light; light up.
2. to make lucid or clear; throw light on (a subject).
3. to decorate with lights, as in celebration.
4. to enlighten, as with knowledge.
5. to make resplendent or illustrious: A smile illuminated her face.
6. to decorate (a manuscript, book, etc.) with colors and gold or silver, as was often done in the Middle Ages.
–verb (used without object)
7. to display lights, as in celebration.
8. to become illuminated.
–adjective
9. Archaic. illuminated.
10. Obsolete. enlightened.
–noun
11. Archaic. a person who is or affects to be specially enlightened.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L illūminātus (ptp. of illūmināre to light up, brighten). See illumine, -ate 1

Related forms:
il⋅lu⋅mi⋅nat⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
2. clarify, explain, elucidate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To illuminate
il·lu·mi·nate   (ĭ-lōō'mə-nāt')   
v.   il·lu·mi·nat·ed, il·lu·mi·nat·ing, il·lu·mi·nates

v.   tr.
  1. To provide or brighten with light.
  2. To decorate or hang with lights.
  3. To make understandable; clarify: "Cleverly made attacks can . . . serve to illuminate important differences between candidates" (New Republic).
  4. To enlighten intellectually or spiritually; enable to understand.
  5. To endow with fame or splendor; celebrate.
  6. To adorn (a page of a book, for example) with ornamental designs, miniatures, or lettering in brilliant colors or precious metals.
  7. To expose to or reveal by radiation.
v.   intr.
  1. To become lighted; glow.
  2. To provide intellectual or spiritual enlightenment and understanding: "Once you decide to titillate instead of illuminate, you're on a slippery slope" (Bill Moyers).
  3. To be exposed to or revealed by radiation.
n.   (-nĭt)
One who has or professes to have an unusual degree of enlightenment.

[Middle English illuminaten, from Latin illūmināre, illūmināt- : in-, in; see in-2 + lūmināre, to light up (from lūmen, lūmin-, light; see leuk- in Indo-European roots).]
il·lu'mi·nat'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Illuminate

Il*lu"mi*nate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Illuminated; p. pr. & vb. n. Illuminating.] [L. illuminatus, p. p. of illuminare; pref. il- in + luminare to enlighten, fr. lumen light. See Luminous, and cf. Illume, Illumine, Enlimn, Limn.]

1. To make light; to throw light on; to supply with light, literally or figuratively; to brighten.

2. To light up; to decorate with artificial lights, as a building or city, in token of rejoicing or respect.

3. To adorn, as a book or page with borders, initial letters, or miniature pictures in colors and gold, as was done in manuscripts of the Middle Ages.

4. To make plain or clear; to dispel the obscurity to by knowledge or reason; to explain; to elucidate; as, to illuminate a text, a problem, or a duty.

Illuminate

Il*lu"mi*nate\, v. i. To light up in token or rejoicing.

Illuminate

Il*lu"mi*nate\, a. [L. illuminatus, p. p.] Enlightened. --Bp. Hall.

Illuminate

Il*lu"mi*nate\, n. One who enlightened; esp., a pretender to extraordinary light and knowledge.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : illuminate
Spanish: iluminar,
German: erleuchten,
Japanese: 照らす
More Translations »
Search another word or see illuminate on Thesaurus | Reference