illustration

The word “illustration” means a picture or diagram used to decorate or explain a text. In plain terms, either a drawing that accompanies text, or an example that clarifies an idea.

“Illustration” is pronounced ih-luhs-TRAY-shuhn (/ˌɪləsˈtɹeɪ̯ʃən/ in IPA).

Here is “illustration” used in a sentence: “The recipe book was full of colourful illustrations.”

“Illustration” is a noun.

The word “illustration” comes from Latin. From Latin illustratio, from illustrare, "to make clear, light up.".

“Illustration” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Illustration” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a picture or diagram used to decorate or explain a text.

An illustration is a picture used to decorate or explain a text and can be artistic or realistic, while a diagram is a simplified drawing that shows how something works or how parts relate. A diagram can count as an illustration in the broad sense, but not every illustration is a diagram.

In one sense an illustration is an example that helps make something clear, as in "by way of illustration," so the two overlap. As a picture, however, an illustration is a visual image, whereas an example can be any case that demonstrates a point, visual or not.

An illustration is usually a drawn or designed image created by an artist to decorate or explain a text, while a photograph captures a real scene with a camera. Illustrations are typically hand-made or digitally created rather than photographed.

Illustration often takes "of," as in an illustration of the process, and appears in the phrase "by way of illustration," meaning as an example. "For illustration" is used to mean for the purpose of explaining.