- Today's Word
Elucidate
ih-LOO-suh-dayt
Definition
(verb) To make something clear; to explain in detail.
Example
The teacher used real-world examples to elucidate the concept for the class.
Fun Fact
In courtroom dramas, professors’ lectures, and long-winded essays, elucidate is a go-to term for cutting through confusion. It’s favored in academia and science writing, where clarity is key—but it’s also used in journalism and even tech tutorials. The opposite of obfuscate, it’s a word that signals you’re about to shed light on something murky.
(noun) Displaying extreme generosity in giving; lavish and openhanded in the bestowal of gifts or resources.
The philanthropist’s munificence transformed the city — new libraries, funded hospitals, and a university scholarship program that outlasted her by decades.
Munificence derives from the Latin munificentia, built from munus meaning “gift” or “duty” and facere meaning “to make” — literally “the making of gifts.” The same root munus gives us municipal and munitions, both originally tied to the idea of public duties and obligations. It entered English in the 16th century, used almost exclusively to describe the grand, sweeping generosity of rulers, patrons, and institutions rather than everyday acts of giving.