Nearby Words

illustrious

[ih-luhs-tree-uhs] Origin

il·lus·tri·ous

[ih-luhs-tree-uhs]
adjective
1.
highly distinguished; renowned; famous: an illustrious leader.
2.
glorious, as deeds or works: many illustrious achievements.
3.
Obsolete. luminous; bright.

Origin:
1560–70; < Latin illustri(s) bright, clear, famous (equivalent to illustr(āre) to brighten (see il-1, luster1) + -is adj. suffix) + -ous

il·lus·tri·ous·ly, adverb
il·lus·tri·ous·ness, noun
un·il·lus·tri·ous, adjective
un·il·lus·tri·ous·ly, adverb
un·il·lus·tri·ous·ness, noun


1. celebrated, eminent, famed.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Illustrious is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
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.
Collins
World English Dictionary
illustrious (ɪˈlʌstrɪəs)
 
adj
1.  of great renown; famous and distinguished
2.  glorious or great: illustrious deeds
3.  obsolete shining
 
[C16: from Latin illustris bright, distinguished, famous, from illustrāre to make light; see illustrate]
 
il'lustriously
 
adv
 
il'lustriousness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

illustrious
c.1566, from L. illustris "bright, distinguished, famous," back-formation from illustrare "embellish, distinguish, make famous" (see illustration).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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