illustrate

English

Etymology

Back-formation from illustration.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɪl.jʊˌstɹeɪt/, /ɪˈlʌsˌtɹeɪt/, /ˈɪl.jəˌstɹeɪt/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɪl.əˌstɹeɪt/, /ɪˈlʌsˌtɹeɪt/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ɪˈlasˌtɹæɪt/, /ˈɪl.əˌstɹæɪt/

Verb

illustrate (third-person singular simple present illustrates, present participle illustrating, simple past and past participle illustrated)

1. (obsolete) To shed light upon.

   Synonyms: illuminate; see also Thesaurus:illuminate

   • 1614–1615, Homer, “(please specify the book number)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses. […], London: […] Rich[ard] Field [and William Jaggard], for Nathaniell Butter, published 1615, →OCLC; republished in The Odysseys of Homer, […], volume (please specify the book number), London: John Russell Smith, […], 1857, →OCLC:

     Here, when the morn illustrates all the sky.

     The spelling has been modernized.

2. (figurative) To clarify something by giving, or serving as, an example or a comparison.

   We illustrate our definitions by including quotations or simple examples.

   • 1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:

     To prove him, and illustrate his high worth.

   • 2012 September 7, Phil McNulty, “Moldova 0-5 England”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     England were graphically illustrating the huge gulf in class between the sides and it was no surprise when Lampard added the second just before the half hour. Steven Gerrard found his Liverpool team-mate Glen Johnson and Lampard arrived in the area with perfect timing to glide a header beyond Namasco.

3. To provide a book or other publication with pictures, diagrams or other explanatory or decorative features.

   The economics textbook was illustrated with many graphs.

   • 1980 December 13, David Morris, “Prison Officials Seize GCN Film”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 21, page 1:

     Michael Thompson said he had been photographing prison buildings on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to illustrate an article by Tom Reeves […] when an unidentified plainclothes employee of the prison approached him.

4. (obsolete) To give renown or honour to; to make illustrious.

   Synonym: glorify

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Matter to me of glory, whom their hate / Illustrates.

Translations

to clarify by giving as an example

• Belarusian: ілюстрава́ць impf or pf (iljustravácʹ)
• Bulgarian: пояснявам (bg) (pojasnjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 舉例說明 / 举例说明 (jǔlì shuōmíng), 闡明 / 阐明 (zh) (chǎnmíng)

• Czech: ilustrovat (cs)
• Dutch: illustreren (nl)
• Finnish: kuvata (fi), havainnollistaa (fi)
• French: illustrer (fr)
• Galician: ilustrar (gl)
• German: illustrieren (de)
• Hindi: स्पष्टीकरण (hi) (spaṣṭīkraṇ), वाख्या (vākhyā)
• Hungarian: szemléltet (hu), megvilágít (hu), illusztrál (hu)
• Ido: klarigar (io), lumizar (io), explikar (io)
• Italian: illustrare (it), mostrare (it)
• Maori: whakatauira
• Polish: obrazować (pl) impf, zobrazować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: ilustrar (pt)
• Romanian: ilustra (ro)
• Russian: иллюстри́ровать (ru) (illjustrírovatʹ), поясня́ть (ru) (pojasnjátʹ), приводи́ть приме́ры (privodítʹ priméry)
• Spanish: ilustrar (es)
• Ukrainian: ілюструва́ти impf or pf (iljustruváty), проілюструва́ти pf (proiljustruváty)
• Walloon: mostrer (wa), espliker (wa)
• Welsh: egluro (cy), esbonio (cy)

to add explanatory or decoratory features

• Belarusian: ілюстрава́ць impf or pf (iljustravácʹ)
• Bulgarian: илюстрирам (iljustriram)
• Czech: ilustrovat (cs)
• Dutch: illustreren (nl)
• Esperanto: ilustri (eo)
• Finnish: kuvittaa (fi)
• French: illustrer (fr)
• Galician: ilustrar (gl)
• German: illustrieren (de)
• Hebrew: אִיֵּר (he) (iyyér)
• Hungarian: illusztrál (hu)
• Ido: ilustrar (io)
• Irish: maisigh
• Italian: illustrare (it), descrivere (it), spiegare (it), esemplificare (it)
• Portuguese: ilustrar (pt)
• Romanian: ilustra (ro)
• Russian: иллюстри́ровать (ru) (illjustrírovatʹ), де́лать иллюстра́ции (délatʹ illjustrácii), оформля́ть (ru) (oformljátʹ)
• Spanish: ilustrar (es)
• Ukrainian: ілюструва́ти impf or pf (iljustruváty), проілюструва́ти pf (proiljustruváty)
• Walloon: enimådjî (wa)
• Welsh: darlunio (cy)

See also

• shed light upon

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “illustrate”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

Italian

Adjective

illustrate f pl

1. feminine plural of illustrato

Verb

illustrate

1. inflection of illustrare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative
   3. feminine plural past participle

Latin

Participle

illūstrāte

1. vocative masculine singular of illūstrātus