One way to hold it: something put beside an idea to throw light on it so you can finally see it. A page of words stays flat until a picture — or a story — lands next to it and the meaning becomes visible.
From the word’s history
From Latin illustrare "to light up, make bright" (in- + lustrare "to make bright"), so an illustration is literally what lights something up.
來自拉丁文 illustrāre「照亮、使明亮」（in- 加上 lustrāre「使發光」）。所以 illustration 字面上就是「打光的那個東西」——不管打光的是一張圖還是一個例子，動作是同一個：讓原本模糊的東西亮起來、被看見。這條線索把插圖和例證這兩個看似無關的意思接回同一個畫面。
Wiktionary (illustration, illustrate) — from Latin illūstrātiō, from illūstrō "to light up, illuminate, make clear"
登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。
原始詞典資料5 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
illustrationnoun/ˌɪləsˈtɹeɪ̯ʃən/
- 1
The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct.
- 2
The state of being illustrated, or of being made clear and distinct.
- 3
Something which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity.
- England will regard it as a measure of justice for Frank Lampard's disallowed goal against Germany in Bloemfontein at the 2010 World Cup - but it was also an illustration of how they rode their luck for long periods in front of a predictably partisan home crowd.
- 4
A picture designed to decorate a publication, or elucidate a literary work.
- The illustration showing the water cycle made it much easier to understand for the children.
- The sleeve of the band's new CD includes illustrations from deceased former members.
- 5
A calculated prevision of insurance premiums and returns (life insurance).
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。