Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of illustrating or the state of being illustrated.
  • noun A picture or image that is used to decorate or clarify a text.
  • noun An example that is used to clarify or explain something. synonym: example.
  • noun Obsolete Illumination.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of illustrating, or of rendering clear or obvious; explanation; elucidation; exemplification.
  • noun The state of being illustrated or illumined.
  • noun That which illustrates. Specifically
  • noun A pictorial representation, map, etc., placed in a book or other publication to elucidate the text.
  • noun Illustriousness; distinction.
  • noun In music, same as development

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct; education; also, the state of being illustrated, or of being made clear and distinct.
  • noun That which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity.
  • noun A picture designed to decorate a volume or elucidate a literary work.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct; education; also, the state of being illustrated, or of being made clear and distinct.
  • noun That which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity.
  • noun A picture designed to decorate a volume or elucidate a literary work.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
  • noun an item of information that is typical of a class or group
  • noun a visual representation (a picture or diagram) that is used make some subject more pleasing or easier to understand
  • noun showing by example

Etymologies

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