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In 1974, the discovery of a remarkably intact Australopithecus skeleton elucidated a key moment in human evolution. She was famously nicknamed Lucy in reference to the Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” but we’d still love Lucy were it simply an homage to the light she shed. You see, the Latin luc- or lux puts the “light” in many English utterances (including the name Lucy). Take, for instance, lucent (“glowing with light”), luculent (“clear in thought or expression”), luciferous (“bringing light or insight”), lucid (“clear, sane, intelligible”), and elucidate (“to make clear or understandable”). Those last two words come from the Latin lucidus, which literally translates to “lucid.” Lucidus, in turn, comes from the verb lucēre, meaning “to shine.” Elucidating, therefore, can be thought of as the figurative equivalent of shining a light on something to make it easier to see.
Examples of elucidate in a Sentence
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 June 2026
However, there are strong definitional issues when attempting to elucidate blogs within a journalism context.
—Jeremy Saks, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
Basically, whenever John and Yoko talk about something vaguely abstract, Soderbergh elucidates his words with the help of Meta’s video-generative tools.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
To find and elucidate the humanity that transcends individual circumstance?
—Glen Weldon, NPR, 10 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Elucidate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elucidate. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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elucidate
verb
