Word of the Day

: November 10, 2016

elicit

verb ih-LISS-it

What It Means

1 : to draw forth or bring out (something latent or potential)

2 : to call forth or draw out (as information or a response)

elicit in Context

The announcement of the final amount raised by the charity walk elicited many cheers from the crowd.

"But the big question is whether fragments of pottery, fraying textiles and decaying manuscripts can elicit excitement these days when people are glued to technology." — Ruth Eglash, The Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2016

Did You Know?

Elicit derives from the past participle of the Latin verb elicere, formed by combining the prefix e- (meaning "away") with the verb lacere, meaning "to entice by charm or attraction." It is not related to its near-homophone, the adjective illicit—that word, meaning "unlawful," traces back to another Latin verb, licēre, meaning "to be permitted." Nor is elicit related to the verb solicit, even though it sounds like it should be. Solicit derives from Latin sollicitare ("to disturb"), formed by combining the adjective sollus, meaning "whole," with the past participle of the verb ciēre, meaning "to move."