# elucidate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɪˈl(j)uːsɪdeɪt/ · frequency rank #41,609

## Definitions
1. To make (something) lucid (“bright, luminous; also, clear, transparent”).
2. To make (something) clear and understandable; to clarify, to illuminate, to shed light on.

## Etymology
From Late Latin ēlūcidātus, perfect passive participle of ēlūcidō (“to lighten, enlighten”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ē(x)- (“out, from”) + lūcidus (“bright, clear, understandable”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), literally “to make light of (something)”, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“bright; to see; to shine”). Compare French élucider.

## Common misspellings (12)
`elcuidate`, `ellucidate`, `eluccidate`, `elucdiate`, `eluciadte`, `elucidaet`, `elucidatte`, `eluciddate`, `elucidtae`, `eluicdate`, `eulcidate`, `leucidate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/elucidate