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.
explain implies a making plain or intelligible what is not immediately obvious or entirely known.
explain the rules
expound implies a careful often elaborate explanation.
expounding a scientific theory
explicate adds the idea of a developed or detailed analysis.
explicate a poem
elucidate stresses the throwing of light upon as by offering details or motives previously unclear or only implicit.
elucidate an obscure passage
interpret adds to explain the need for imagination or sympathy or special knowledge in dealing with something.
interpreting a work of art
Examples of elucidate in a Sentence
When asked for details, he declined to elucidate further.
colored charts that really help to elucidate the points made in the text
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Countless stories elucidate the ways perpetrators and those near them (whether in ethnic, religious or political communities) respond when girls and boys tell about abuse.—👁 Image Lynn Dewoskin Covarrubias, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026 The group further elucidated that the program should chiefly prioritize reuse and repair, with retail and community-based organizations responsible for promoting and providing visibility for repair services.—👁 Image Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 2 Mar. 2026 Viral essays are tapping into fears of robots turning on their creators—a trope dating back centuries—rather than elucidating present economic conditions.—👁 Image Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026 Since the trial, multiple people involved have published books elucidating their own sides of the events.—👁 Image Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elucidate
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Late Latin ēlūcidātus, past participle of ēlūcidāre "to enlighten, explain," from Latin ē-, variant of ex-ex- entry 1 + -lūcidāre, derivative of lūcidus "bright, shining, clear to the understanding" — more at lucid
