illuminate

Intermediatezipf 3.30

Pronunciation

/ɪˈluːmɪneɪt/(ih-LOO-mih-nayt)

Part of speech

verbneutral

Chinese

照亮；阐明；启发

Definition

To light up; to make something clearer or easier to understand; to enlighten.

Word family

  • illumination/ɪˌluːmɪˈneɪʃən/(n)照明；启发
  • illuminating/ɪˈluːmɪneɪtɪŋ/(adj)有启发性的

Collocations

  • illuminate a room
  • illuminate the issue
  • illuminate the path
  • illuminating discussion
  • brightly illuminated

Examples

  1. 1.A single lamp illuminated the narrow corridor. (light up)
  2. 2.Her research illuminated the hidden connections between poverty and mental health. (clarify/reveal)

Synonyms

  • light up (to make bright — literal)
  • clarify/ˈklærɪfaɪ/— to make easier to understand — figurative
  • elucidate/ɪˈluːsɪdeɪt/— to make clear by explanation — more formal

Etymology

from Latin "illuminare" (to light up) — in- (upon) + luminare (to light) — "lumen" (light)