Main Entry:

en·light·en·ment

Pronunciation:

\in-ˈlī-t^ən-mənt, en-\

Function:

noun

Date:

1654

1: the act or means of enlightening : the state of being enlightened2capitalized : a philosophic movement of the 18th century marked by a rejection of traditional social, religious, and political ideas and an emphasis on rationalism —used with the3Buddhism : a final blessed state marked by the absence of desire or suffering