1. To shed light upon or to brighten up: Jane said she will try to illustrate what she means by the objectives of the committee when she talks with the whole group.
2. To clarify something by giving examples or making comparisons so as to clearly show or to explain: Dr. Johnson used several examples to illustrate his point in the physics lecture.
3. To provide explanatory or decorative pictures to accompany a printed, a spoken, or an electronic text: After graduating from Art College, Joyce got a job illustrating children's books.
4. Etymology: from Latin in-, "throughly" + lustrare, "to illuminate"; from Latin lumen, "light".