v., -nat·ed, -nat·ing, -nates. v.tr.
- To provide or brighten with light.
- To decorate or hang with lights.
- To make understandable; clarify: "Cleverly made attacks can . . . serve to illuminate important differences between candidates" (New Republic).
- To enlighten intellectually or spiritually; enable to understand.
- To endow with fame or splendor; celebrate.
- To adorn (a page of a book, for example) with ornamental designs, miniatures, or lettering in brilliant colors or precious metals.
- To expose to or reveal by radiation.
- To become lighted; glow.
- To provide intellectual or spiritual enlightenment and understanding: "Once you decide to titillate instead of illuminate, you're on a slippery slope" (Bill Moyers).
- To be exposed to or revealed by radiation.
One who has or professes to have an unusual degree of enlightenment.
[Middle English illuminaten, from Latin illūmināre, illūmināt- : in-, in; see in-2 + lūmināre, to light up (from lūmen, lūmin-, light).]
illuminatingly il·lu'mi·nat'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
