Il-lūs'trāte1, v. t.
v. t. [imp. & p. p. ILLUSTRATED; p. pr. & vb. n. ILLUSTRATING.] [Lat. illustrare, illustratum, from illustris, bright; Fr. illustrer, Sp. ilustrar, It. illustrare. See ILLUSTRIOUS.]
Sense 1. To make clear, bright, or luminous.
Here, when the moon illustrates all the sky. Chapman.
Sense 2. To set in a clear light; to exhibit distinctly; to make plain or conspicuous. “To prove him, and illustrate his high worth.” Shak.
Sense 3. To make clear, intelligible, or apprehensible; to elucidate; to explain; to exemplify; especially by means of figures, comparisons, examples, and the like.
Sense 4. To ornament and elucidate with pictures or figures; to adorn; as, to illustrate a book or manuscript.
Sense 5. To give renown or honor to; to make illustrious; to glorify. [Obs. or rare.]
Matter to me of glory! whom their hate Illustrates. Milton.
☞ It would better accord with the genius of our language to pronounce this word and its derivatives with the accent on the first instead of the second syllable, and it is sometimes so pronounced; but the prevalent and established usage is to accent the second syllable. [See Note under CONTEMPLATE.]