il·lus·trate

[il-uh-streyt, ih-luhs-treyt] verb, il·lus·trat·ed, il·lus·trat·ing.
verb (used with object)
1.
to furnish (a book, magazine, etc.) with drawings, pictures, or other artwork intended for explanation, elucidation, or adornment.
2.
to make clear or intelligible, as by examples or analogies; exemplify.
3.
Archaic. to enlighten.
verb (used without object)
4.
to clarify one's words, writings, etc., with examples: To prevent misunderstandings, let me illustrate.
Origin:
1520–30; < Latin illustrātus past participle of illustrāre to illuminate, make clear, give glory to. See il-1, luster1, -ate1

Related forms
il·lus·trat·a·ble, adjective
o·ver·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), o·ver·il·lus·trat·ed, o·ver·il·lus·trat·ing.
pre·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), pre·il·lus·trat·ed, pre·il·lus·trat·ing.
re·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), re·il·lus·trat·ed, re·il·lus·trat·ing.
su·per·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), su·per·il·lus·trat·ed, su·per·il·lus·trat·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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any disease-producing agent, especially a virus, bacterium, or other microorganism
to signify or suggest a certain meaning in addition to the explicit or primary meaning
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Collins
World English Dictionary
illustrate (ˈɪləˌstreɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb
1.  to clarify or explain by use of examples, analogy, etc
2.  (tr) to be an example or demonstration of
3.  (tr) to explain or decorate (a book, text, etc) with pictures
4.  (tr) an archaic word for enlighten
 
[C16: from Latin illustrāre to make light, explain, from lustrāre to purify, brighten; see lustrum]
 
'illustratable
 
—adj
 
'illustrative
 
—adj
 
'illustratively
 
—adv
 
'illustrator
 
—n

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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Example sentences
The drawing should illustrate the creatures' adaptations and names.
After marrying, he continued to write humor and illustrate.
The fictionalized personal profiles given above illustrate this point.
Let me quickly illustrate some of the links between food and water.
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