illustration

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌɪl.əˈstreɪ.ʃən/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English illustracioun, borrowed from Old French illustration (“apparition, appearance”) and directly Latin illūstrātiō (“vivid representation, an enlightening”),^[2][3][4] from the past participle stem of illūstrō (“to light up, make clear, adorn”) (see illustrate), from in- and lūstrō (“to make bright, illuminate”),^[2] from Proto-Indo-European *leuk- (“light, brightness”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Spiritual or intellectual illumination: about 1375 in the OED, which notes this as the earliest sense.^[5][4] Etymonline gives a shining, about 1400.^[2]

Semantic evolution

A manifestation is from the early 15th century.^[2] Making something clear to the mind is from 1581,^[5][2] and an example that makes something clear from 1585.^[5] Making illustrious is from 1616,^[5] and physical illumination from before 1631.^[5] The pictorial elucidation of a text is from 1813, and an illustrative picture from 1816.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 1375 – spiritual illumination.^[5]
• 1581 – making clear.^[5]
• 1585 – an example.^[5]
• 1616 – making illustrious.^[5]
• 1816 – a picture in a book.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A picture or drawing used to explain or decorate a text.
2. An example that explains or demonstrates something: an illustration of his ability.
3. The act of illustrating or clarifying.
4. (archaic) Illumination.

Word family

• illustrational
• overillustration
• reillustration

Related words

• illustrate
• illustrious
• lustre
• luminous

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press