elicit

(ĭ-lĭs'ĭt)
tr.v., -it·ed, -it·ing, -its.

1. 1. To bring or draw out (something latent); educe.
   2. To arrive at (a truth, for example) by logic.
2. To call forth, draw out, or provoke (a reaction, for example). See synonyms at evoke.

[Latin ēlicere, ēlicit- : ē-, ex-, ex- + lacere, to entice.]

elicitation e·lic'i·ta'tion n.
elicitor e·lic'i·tor n.

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Confusion arises occasionally because both words are pronounced the same way (i-lis-it). Elicit is a verb meaning 'to draw out or evoke (an answer, admission, etc.)' whereas illicit is an adjective meaning 'unlawful, forbidden'.

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verb

To call forth or bring out (something latent, hidden, or unexpressed): draw (out), educe, evoke, summon. See show/hide.

v

Definition: draw out
Antonyms: cover, hide, keep, repress, suppress

IN BRIEF: To draw out.

The investigator was able to elicit a response from the timid witness through skillful questioning.

Tutor's tip: The criminal tried to "elicit" (to draw forth, to evoke) a response from the police by committing two "illicit" (unlawful) acts.

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a substance that induces the production of phytoalexins in higher plants. Elicitors may be exogenous (e.g. produced by potentially pathogenic bacteria or fungi) or endogenous, such as cell-wall degradation products.

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See words rhyming with "elicitor."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Elicit.

Common misspelling(s) of elicited

• elicided

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - lokke frem, fremkalde, fremdrage, frembringe

Nederlands (Dutch)
uitlokken, ontlokken, afleiden

Français (French)
v. tr. - arracher à qn, mettre à jour, arracher à (une admission), provoquer, soutirer (une information), faire naître (un sourire), tirer de (un secret)

Deutsch (German)
v. - entlocken

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - εκμαιεύω, αποσπώ, βγάζω, φανερώνω

Italiano (Italian)
provocare, carpire

Português (Portuguese)
v. - trazer à tona, extrair, deduzir

Русский (Russian)
извлекать, выявлять, добиваться, делать вывод

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - provocar, sonsacar, arrancar, sacar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - framlocka, framkalla

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
得出, 抽出, 引出

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 得出, 抽出, 引出

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 끌어내다, 자아내다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 顕現させる, 導き出す

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يستخرج, يستنبط‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הוציא, משך, הפיק‬

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