elucidate
To make something clear or explain in detail
Examples
In a meeting
“Could you elucidate how this new process will affect our workflow?”
Over coffee
“Let me elucidate what I meant by that confusing comment earlier.”
Why this word
explain
elucidate implies making something obscure become clear through careful exposition, while explain is general-purpose clarification
clarify
elucidate suggests illuminating complex or mysterious content, while clarify means removing confusion from something already partially understood
interpret
elucidate focuses on making inherent meaning clear, while interpret involves providing one's own understanding or translation
Usage tip
Use when you need to explain something complex in a clearer way, slightly more formal than 'explain'
Etymology
Late Latin 'elucidare' (e 'out' + lucidus 'light, clear,' from lux 'light')
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Related words
broach
To bring up or introduce a topic for discussion
concise
Giving a lot of information clearly in few words.
ambiguous
Open to more than one interpretation; not clear or decided.
convey
To communicate or make an idea, feeling, or meaning known.
reiterate
To say something again for emphasis or clarity.
paraphrase
To restate something in different words to make it clearer or shorter.