elucidation

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the act or process of making something clear by explaining it

   The lecturer's elucidation of the paradox helped the class follow the argument.

2. 2
   noun

   an explanation or interpretation that makes something easier to understand

   The footnote provides a useful elucidation of the author's technical terms.

From elucidate + -ion; elucidate comes from Late Latin elucidare ("to make clear"), formed from e- ("out") + lucidus ("bright, clear"). The etymological image is of bringing a subject out into the light so that it can be understood.

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