Word of the Day

: July 22, 2023

illustrious

adjective ih-LUSS-tree-us

What It Means

Illustrious describes a person or deed that is highly admired and respected.

// During the ceremony, the illustrious star of stage and screen was presented with a lifetime achievement award.

See the entry >

illustrious in Context

"The USDA Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Region recently recognized Daris Matos, assistant forest engineer for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests for her innovative and impactful contributions to forest engineering in 2022. ... With an illustrious career as an engineer with the U.S. Forest Service spanning 20 years, Matos consistently delivers innovative solutions to complex engineering challenges and demonstrates outstanding contributions to the field." — The Montrose (Colorado) Daily Press, 24 May 2023

Did You Know?

Today’s spotlight is on illustrious, from the Latin adjective illustris, meaning "shining brightly with light." Illustris itself was probably a back-formation of the Latin verb illustrare, a word with varied meanings, among them "to light up," "to make clear," and "to embellish." (Our word illustrate also comes from illustrare, of course; its original meaning was "to enlighten intellectually, culturally, or spiritually.") At one time, illustrious could be used synonymously with its immediate Latin forbear to describe things that glow brightly, but that meaning is now considered archaic. The word today is almost exclusively used to describe something—such as a career or achievement—that stands out figuratively, shining brilliantly in the mind's eye.