illuminate
/ˌɪˈluːmɪnɪt/ih-LOO-mih-nit
/ˌɪˈlumɪnɪt/ih-LOO-mih-nit
Meaningto light up
Common meaning: to light up
Other meanings: to make clear
- ilform of in- before l
- luminlight; a lampLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1084 · scan
- ateverb or adjective ending: to make, having
‘form of in- before l’ + ‘light’ → illuminate
Journey through time
- Latinlūmen, -inis‘light’
- Englishilluminate‘to light up’ · today
il- also in: illicitillusionillustrate
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin lūmen ‘light; a lamp’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry lūmen, p. 1084 · dictionary scan
Roots
- lūmen, -inis Latin “light; a lamp”
Related words
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