PLAY PODCASTS
elucidate
Episode 4148

elucidate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day · Merriam-Webster

March 3, 20181m 44s

Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (rss.art19.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.

Show Notes

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 3, 2018 is:


elucidate \ih-LOO-suh-dayt\ verb

1 : to make lucid especially by explanation or analysis

2 : to give a clarifying explanation


Examples:

"In 'Darwin and the Meaning of Flowers' Sacks recounts how, late in his life and in poor health, Darwin turned his attention from animals to plants, continuing to elucidate his theory of evolution when he could no longer undertake voyages." — Suzanne Koven, The Boston Globe, 26 Nov. 2017

"The D.A. was engaging and insightful as he elucidated upon not only the proper steps to get a felony removed from your criminal background, but also the procedures of diversion and executive pardon." — James E. Cherry, The Jackson (Tennessee) Sun, 26 Nov. 2017


Did you know?

To elucidate is to make something clear that was formerly murky or confusing—and it is perfectly clear how the modern term got that meaning. Elucidate traces to the Latin term lucidus, which means "lucid." Lucidus, in turn, descends from the verb lucēre, meaning "to shine." So elucidating can be thought of as the figurative equivalent of shining a light on something to make it easier to see. Lucēre has also produced other shining offspring in English. Among its descendants are lucid itself (which can mean "shining," "clear-headed," or "easily understood"), lucent (meaning "giving off light" or "easily seen through"), and translucent (meaning "partly transparent" or "clear enough for light to pass through").

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Topics

ENGLISHWORD A DAYDICTIONARYMERRIAMWEBSTERLANGUAGEMERRIAM-WEBSTERWORD OF THE DAYWORDVOCABULARYWORDS