illustrate

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪləstɹeɪt/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Verb

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

1. (obsolete) To shed light upon; to illuminate.
   • Were the Moon smooth, as a looking glass, a very small part would be seen by any particular eye to be illustrated by the Sun.
   • Chapman

     Here, when the moon illustrates all the sky.

2. To clarify something by giving, or serving as, an example or a comparison.
   • Milton

     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.

   • We illustrate our definitions by including quotations or simple examples.
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.
4. (obsolete) To give renown or honour to; to make illustrious; to glorify.
   • Milton

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

Translations

to clarify

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

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

• Czech: ilustrovat
• Finnish: kuvata (fi), havainnollistaa (fi)
• French: illustrer (fr)
• Galician: ilustrar (gl)
• German: illustrieren (de)
• Ido: klarigar (io), lumizar (io), explikar (io)

• Italian: illustrare (it)
• Maori: whakatauira
• Portuguese: ilustrar (pt)
• Romanian: ilustra (ro)
• Russian: иллюстри́ровать (ru) (illjustrírovatʹ), поясня́ть (ru) (pojasnjátʹ), приводи́ть приме́ры (privodítʹ priméry)
• Spanish: ilustrar (es)
• Walloon: mostrer (wa), espliker (wa)
• Welsh: egluro (cy), esbonio (cy)

to give as an example

• Maori: whakatauira

to add explanatory or decoratory features

• Belarusian: ілюстрава́ць impf, pf (iljustravácʹ)
• Bulgarian: илюстрирам (iljustriram)
• Czech: ilustrovat
• Esperanto: ilustri (eo)
• Finnish: kuvittaa (fi)
• French: illustrer (fr)
• Galician: ilustrar (gl)
• German: illustrieren (de)
• Ido: ilustrar (io)

• Irish: maisigh
• Italian: illustrare (it)
• Portuguese: ilustrar (pt)
• Romanian: ilustra (ro)
• Russian: иллюстри́ровать (ru) (illjustrírovatʹ), де́лать иллюстра́ции (délatʹ illjustrácii), оформля́ть (ru) (oformljátʹ)
• Spanish: ilustrar (es)
• Walloon: enimådjî (wa)
• Welsh: darlunio (cy)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} ilustrar

References

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

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Italian

Adjective

illustrate f pl

1. feminine plural of illustrato

Verb

illustrate

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

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Latin

Participle

illūstrāte

1. vocative masculine singular of illūstrātus