English → Latin
“illustrate” in Latin
illūstrōto illuminate, brighten, light up; to elucidate, explain, make clear; to make famous, render illustriouslūxlight (of the sun, stars etc.); daylight, day, moonlight; lifeaperiōto uncover, make or lay bare, reveal, clear; to make visible, discover, show, reveal, lay open; to unclose, open, break explicōto unfold, unfurl, uncoil, loosen, undo; to spread out, stretch out, extend, display, deploy; to disentangle, solve, setinterpretorto explain, expound; to interpret, translate; to understand, concludeobscūrusdark, dusky, shadowy; indistinct, unintelligible, obscure; intricate, involved, complicatedvēritāstruth, truthfulness, verity; the true or real nature, reality, real life
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
illustrate
illustrare (to throw light upon, to explain; e.g., obscura, veritatem; and also figuratively, to glorify, to set off, populi Romani nomen, laudem meam; alicujus eloquentiam; aliquem laudibus): lucem or lumen alicui rei afferre (not affundere): dare alicui rei lumen (set in the proper light; elucidate): explanare aliquid: aperire: explicare: interpretari (explain). (The words are found in this connection and order.) patefacere et illustrare (e.g., obscura, veritatem, Cic.). To illustrate dark passages, etc., occulta et quasi involuta aperire: to illustrate obscure passages, illustrare obscuros locos. Vid: EXPLAIN.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for illustrate?
- The usual Latin words for “illustrate” are illūstrō, lūx, aperiō; also explicō, interpretor, obscūrus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.