Where does “illustration” come from?
Illustration comes from Middle French illustration, from Latin illustratio (a lighting up), derived from Latin illustro (to light up), formed from the prefix Latin in- and Latin in combined with Proto-Indo-European lewk- (to shine).
illustration (English): The act of illustrating; the act of making clear...
Definitions
- The act of illustrating; the act of making clear...
Ancestry of “illustration”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | illustration | — |
| 2 | Latin | illūstrātiō | the action of lighting up, brightening |
| 3 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 4 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 5 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 6 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 7 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 8 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 9 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |