elusive
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
See also: élusive
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Latin elusus past participle of eludo (“to parry a blow, to deceive”)
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ɪˈluːsɪv/
Audio (US) (file) - (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /iˈluːsɪv/
- Homophone: illusive
Adjective[edit]
elusive (comparative more elusive, superlative most elusive)
- Evading capture, comprehension or remembrance.
- The elusive criminal was arrested
- Difficult to make precise.
- 2010, Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease:
- A precise definition of diarrhea is elusive
- 1910, Jack London, chapter 6, in Lost Face[1]:
- Charley chased the elusive idea through all the nooks and crannies of his drowning consciousness.
- Rarely seen.
- 2002, Scott Roederer, Birding: Rocky Mountain National Park, page 93:
- While you're sniffing the trunks of the ponderosas to see if they're butterscotch, vanilla, strawberry, or the elusive chocolate variety, watch for Brown Creepers, an elusive variety of bird.
Related terms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
evading capture, comprehension or remembrance
|
|
difficult to describe
|
|
Italian[edit]
Adjective[edit]
elusive
Categories:
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English terms with homophones
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- Italian non-lemma forms
- Italian adjective forms
- Italian adjective feminine forms
- Italian adjective plural forms