An Enchanted Place

It’s that time of week again where I share a word that I find interesting.

This week’s Weekly Word is:

Part of Speech

verb (formal)

Word Forms

Related Words

Pronunciation

elu·​ci·​date | \ i-ˈlü-sə-ˌdāt | ih-loo-si-deyt 

Meaning

To make (something) clear, especially by explanation or analysis; to explain; to give more information

Word Origin

First recorded use, 1560–70.

From late Latin ēlūcidātus, past participle of ēlūcidāre, meaning ‘enlightened’

Synonyms

clarify, clear up, comment on, decode, enlighten, explain, expound, explicate, interpret, illustrate,

Antonyms

cloud, complicate, conceal, confuse, hide, obscure, obfuscate, be vague, make ambiguous, mystify

Use in a Sentence

1. The class were relieved to discover that their newest tutor was able to elucidate on the topics they’d already covered; maybe now they would actually understand the material enough to pass their course.
2. Jennifer elucidates the team on their performance in relation to their opponents as they prepare for the next match.
3. Dr. Connell’s explanation had so elucidated the text that it had become a required accompaniment to any reading of it.
4. James would afterwards try to claim that he had been listening whilst Penny had been elucidating on their instructions, but the fact that he’d failed so spectacularly at his assigned tasks told everyone exactly how much attention he’d been paying.
5. The elucidation delivered in the press conference was supposed to have settled the whole situation down. Surely no one could have predicted that it would have completely the opposite effect.
6. The book had been elucidative, although not quite in the way the author had hoped.
7. Gerald liked to think of himself as an elucidator. This generally meant that he bored everyone who visited him with long explanations about things they had absolutely no interest in.

As soon as I came across elucidate when working out which word I wanted to share this week, I had the opening line of Everybody Wants to be a Cat from Disney’s Aristocats play in my head. As a kids entertainer by trade, this is a song that I’ve listened to far too many times! I knew immediately that this was the word I had to do, even if it is much too formal for everyday use.

If you would like to join in with this activity in any way, feel free to do so. You could either share a Weekly Word of your own – this week beginning with the letter E – or you could use my word, or Millie Thom’s, as inspiration for a post. This could be a piece of poetry, flash fiction, or any form of prose you choose. Just share a link in the comments so we can see what you’ve been up to!