[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

illuminate \illu"minate\, v. t. imp.  p. p. illuminated;
   p. pr.  vb. n. illuminating. l. illuminatus, p. p. of
   illuminare; pref. il- in + luminare to enlighten, fr. lumen
   light. see luminous, and cf. illume, illumine,
   enlimn, limn.
   1. to make light; to throw light on; to supply with light,
      literally or figuratively; to brighten.
      1913 webster

   2. to light up; to decorate with artificial lights, as a
      building or city, in token of rejoicing or respect.
      1913 webster

   3. to adorn, as a book or page with borders, initial letters,
      or miniature pictures in colors and gold, as was done in
      manuscripts of the middle ages.
      1913 webster

   4. to make plain or clear; to dispel the obscurity to by
      knowledge or reason; to explain; to elucidate; as, to
      illuminate a text, a problem, or a duty.
      1913 webster
see also:
illuminated illuminating luminous illume illumine enlimn 
limn 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

illuminating \illu"mina`ting\, a.
   giving or producing light; used for illumination.
   1913 webster

   illuminating gas. see gas, n., 2
   a .
       1913 webster
see also:
illuminating gas gas 

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

illuminating
     adj 1: highly enlightening; making understandable or clarifying;
            "an illuminating lecture"; "illuminating pieces of
            information" syn: enlightening ant: unilluminating
     2: providing light; "the sun's illuminating rays"
see also:
enlightening unilluminating 

[4] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

52 moby thesaurus words for "illuminating":
   allegorizing, annotative, autodidactic, brightening, clarifying,
   coeducational, critical, cultural, demonstrative, demythologizing,
   didactic, disciplinary, edifying, editorial, educating,
   educational, educative, elucidative, enlightening, euhemeristic,
   exegetic, exemplificative, exhortatory, explaining, explanatory,
   explicative, explicatory, expositive, expository, glossarial,
   homiletic, hortatory, illuminant, illuminative, illumining,
   illustrative, informative, initiatory, instructive, introductory,
   lecturing, lightening, lighting, preaching, preceptive,
   propaedeutic, rationalistic, rationalizing, scholiastic,
   self-teaching, teaching, tuitionary

Illuminating >> I Words
Illuminating, definition of term: Illuminating
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