The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct; education; also, the state of being illustrated, or of being made clear and distinct. [1913 Webster]
That which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity. [1913 Webster]
A picture designed to decorate a volume or elucidate a literary work. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

illustration, n.
1 a drawing or picture illustrating a book, magazine article, etc.
2 an example serving to elucidate.
3 the act or an instance of illustrating.

Derivative

illustrational adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. L illustratio -onis (as ILLUSTRATE)

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THESAURUS

illustration

abstract, abstraction, acrylic painting, allegorization, alphabet, altarpiece, art, block print, blueprint, case, case history, case in point, charactering, characterization, chart, choreography, citation, clarification, collage, color print, coloring, conventional representation, copy, cracking, cross reference, cyclorama, dance notation, daub, decipherment, decoding, delineation, demonstration, demythologization, depiction, depictment, diagram, diptych, drama, drawing, editing, elucidation, emblem, emendation, encaustic cerography, encaustic painting, engraving, enlightenment, euhemerism, example, exegesis, exemplar, exemplification, explanation, explication, exponent, exposition, expounding, figuration, figure, finger painting, flower painting, for instance, fresco, fresco painting, genre painting, gouache, grisaille, hieroglyphic, icon, iconography, ideogram, illumination, image, imagery, imaging, impasto, instance, item, letter, light, likeness, limning, logogram, logograph, map, miniature, monochrome, montage, mosaic, mural, mural painting, musical notation, notation, object lesson, oil painting, painting, panorama, particular, photograph, pictogram, picture, picturization, plan, portraiture, portrayal, poster painting, prefigurement, presentment, print, printing, problem, projection, quotation, rationale, realization, reason, reference, relevant instance, rendering, rendition, representation, representative, reproduction, sample, sampling, schema, score, script, simplification, solution, specimen, stained glass window, stencil, still life, syllabary, symbol, tablature, tableau, tapestry, the brush, triptych, type, typical example, unlocking, wall painting, wash, wash drawing, writing

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ROGET THESAURUS

illustration

Conformity

N conformity, conformance, observance, habituation, naturalization, conventionality, agreement, example, instance, specimen, sample, quotation, exemplification, illustration, case in point, object lesson, elucidation, standard, model, pattern, rule, nature, principle, law, order of things, normal state, natural state, ordinary state, model state, normal condition, natural condition, ordinary condition, model condition, standing dish, standing order, Procrustean law, law of the Medes and Persians, hard and fast rule, conformable to rule, regular, according to regulation, according to rule, according to Hoyle, according to Cocker, according to Gunter, en regle, selon les regles, well regulated, orderly, symmetric, conventional, of daily occurrence, of everyday occurrence, in the natural order of things, ordinary, common, habitual, usual, everyday, workaday, in the order of the day, naturalized, typical, normal, nominal, formal, canonical, orthodox, sound, strict, rigid, positive, uncompromising, Procrustean, secundum artem, shipshape, technical, exempIe, illustrative, in point, conformably, by rule, agreeably to, in conformity with, in accordance with, in keeping with, according to, consistently with, as usual, ad instar, instar omnium, more solito, more-majorum, for the sake of conformity, as a matter of course, of course, pro forma, for form's sake, by the card, invariably, for example, exempli gratia, e, g, inter alia, among other things, for instance, cela va sans dire, ex pede Herculem, noscitur a sociis, ne e quovis ligno Mercurius fiat, they are happy men whose natures sort with their v, The nail that sticks up hammered down, Tall poppy syndrome, Stick your neck out and it may get cut off.

Ornament

N ornament, floridness c, adj, turgidity, turgescence, altiloquence, declamation, teratology, well-rounded periods, elegance, orotundity, inversion, antithesis, alliteration, paronomasia, figurativeness, flourish, flowers of speech, flowers of rhetoric, frills of style, euphuism, euphemism, big-sounding words, high-sounding words, macrology, sesquipedalia verba, Alexandrine, inflation, pretension, rant, bombast, fustian, prose run mad, fine writing, sesquipedality, Minerva press, phrasemonger, euphuist, euphemist, ornament, beautified, ornate, florid, rich, flowery, euphuistic, euphemistic, sonorous, high-sounding, big-sounding, inflated, swelling, tumid, turgid, turgescent, pedantic, pompous, stilted, orotund, high flown, high flowing, sententious, rhetorical, declamatory, grandiose, grandiloquent, magniloquent, altiloquent, sesquipedal, sesquipedalian, Johnsonian, mouthy, bombastic, fustian, frothy, flashy, flaming, antithetical, alliterative, figurative, artificial, ore rutundo, ornament, ornamentation, ornamental art, ornature, ornateness, adornment, decoration, embellishment, architecture, jewelry, garnish, polish, varnish, French polish, veneer, japanning, lacquer, gilding, plating, ormolu, enamel, cloisonn_e, cosmetics (in general), makeup, eye shadow, rouge, face powder, lipstick, blush, pattern, diaper, powdering, paneling, graining, pargeting, detail, repousse (convexity), texture, richness, tracery, molding, fillet, listel, strapwork, coquillage, flourish, fleur-de-lis, arabesque, fret, anthemion, egg and tongue, egg and dart, astragal, zigzag, acanthus, cartouche, pilaster, bead, beading, champleve ware, cloisonne ware, frost work, Moresque, Morisco, tooling, embroidery, brocade, brocatelle, galloon, lace, fringe, trapping, border, edging, trimming, hanging, tapestry, arras, millinery, ermine, drap d'or, wreath, festoon, garland, chaplet, flower, nosegay, bouquet, posy, daisies pied and violets blue, tassel knot, shoulder knot, apaulette, epaulet, aigulet, frog, star, rosette, bow, feather, plume, pompom, panache, aigrette, finery, frippery, gewgaw, gimcrack, tinsel, spangle, clinquant, pinchbeck, paste, excess of ornament, gaud, pride, illustration, illumination, vignette, fleuron, head piece, tail piece, cul-de-lampe, flowers of rhetoric, work of art, ornamented, beautified, ornate, rich, gilt, begilt, tesselated, festooned, champleve, cloisonne, topiary, smart, gay, trickly, flowery, glittering, new gilt, new spangled, fine as a Mayday queen, fine as a fivepence, fine as a carrot fresh scraped, pranked out, bedight, well-groomed, in full dress, dressed to kill, dressed to the nines, dressed to advantage, in Sunday best, en grand tenue, en grande toilette, in best bib and tucker, endimanche, showy, flashy, gaudy, garish, gairish, gorgeous, ornamental, decorative, becoming.

Interpretation

N interpretation, definition, explanation, explication, solution, answer, rationale, plain interpretation, simple interpretation, strict interpretation, meaning, translation, rendering, rendition, redition, literal translation, free translation, key, secret, clew, clavis, crib, pony, trot, exegesis, expounding, exposition, hermeneutics, comment, commentary, inference, illustration, exemplification, gloss, annotation, scholium, note, elucidation, dilucidation, eclaircissement, mot d'enigme, symptomatology, semiology, semeiology, semiotics, metoposcopy, physiognomy, paleography, oneirology acception, acceptation, acceptance, light, reading, lection, construction, version, equivalent, equivalent meaning, synonym, paraphrase, metaphrase, convertible terms, apposition, dictionary, polyglot, explanatory, expository, explicative, explicatory, exegetical, construable, polyglot, literal, paraphrastic, metaphrastic, consignificative, synonymous, equivalent, in explanation, that is to say, id est, videlicet, to wit, namely, in other words, literally, strictly speaking, in plain, in plainer terms, in plainer words, in plainer English, more simply.

Representation

N representation, representment, imitation, illustration, delineation, depictment, imagery, portraiture, iconography, design, designing, art, fine arts, painting, sculpture, engraving, photography, cinematography, radiography, autoradiography, fluorography, sciagraphy, personation, personification, impersonation, drama, picture, photo, photograph, daguerreotype, snapshot, X-ray photo, movie film, movie, tracing, scan, TV image, video image, image file, graphics, computer graphics, televideo, closed-circuit TV, copy, drawing, sketch, drought, draft, plot, chart, figure, scheme, image, likeness, icon, portrait, striking likeness, speaking likeness, very image, effigy, facsimile, figure, figure head, puppet, doll, figurine, aglet, manikin, lay- figure, model, mammet, marionette, fantoccini, waxwork, bust, statue, statuette, ideograph, hieroglyphic, anaglyph, kanji, diagram, monogram, map, plan, chart, ground plan, projection, elevation (plan), ichnography, cartography, atlas, outline, scheme, view, radiograph, scotograph, sciagraph, spectrogram, heliogram, represent, representing, representative, illustrative, represented, imitative, figurative, iconic, like, graphic, cinquecento quattrocento, trecento.

Engraving

N engraving, chalcography, line engraving, mezzotint engraving, stipple engraving, chalk engraving, dry point, bur, etching, aquatinta, chiseling, plate engraving, copperplate engraving, steel engraving, wood engraving, xylography, lignography, glyptography, cerography, lithography, chromolithography, photolithography, zincography, glyphography, xylograph, lignograph, glyptograph, cerograph, lithograph, chromolithograph, photolithograph, zincograph, glyphograph, holograph, impression, print, engraving, plate, steelplate, copperplate, etching, mezzotint, aquatint, lithotint, cut, woodcut, stereotype, graphotype, autotype, heliotype, graver, burin, etching point, style, plate, stone, wood block, negative, die, punch, stamp, printing, plate printing, copperplate printing, anastatic printing, color printing, lithographic printing, type printing, three-color process, illustration, illumination, half tone, photogravure, vignette, initial letter, cul de lampe, tailpiece, lapidary, lapidarian, insculptured, engraved, lapidary, sculpsit, imprimit.

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