Elucidate is to clarify or understand something.
The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) defines the verb elucidate as the action of declaring or explaining a proposition, a work of genius or a matter in general . The term finds its etymological origin in the Latin elucidāre .
To elucidate something, therefore, is to clarify it or make it accessible to other people. For example: “Even if it takes me all afternoon, I am going to solve this mystery” , “The investigator believes that they are still far from solving the case” , “After solving the enigma, the detective went to Mrs. Van Houseman's house and "She informed her that her husband was not dead."
Elucidate, an act linked to understanding
In recent times, for example, the term that concerns us now has been widely used, at a political and international level. And, for example, global meetings and conferences have been held with the clear objective of being able to elucidate the future of Gaza, an enclave of Palestine that has been the object of countless confrontations and bombings or military attacks due to the eternal dispute between Israel and Palestine.
Elucidation, therefore, is linked to the understanding of something that is shared with other individuals who, in general, had not accessed the understanding of the thing elucidated. A mathematical problem that has not been answered for centuries can be solved by a scientist. By elucidating the problem, this intellectual will share his conclusions with the rest of the scientific community and with society in general.
Trying to observe something in the dark or that is very far away can be referred to as elucidating.
Some considerations
We would also have to say that within the journalistic field the term elucidate is also widely used. In his case, it makes sense with the creation and implementation of the so-called style books. These are documents that every media outlet has with the clear objective that in them journalists and reporters, when writing information, can clarify all the doubts they have about grammar, the use of anglicisms, the use of the acronyms…
Nor should we forget that a very important educational branch that has its central axis in the verb elucidate is the philosophy of science. And what it does is try to clarify and resolve existing scientific theories as well as the entire set of principles they establish.
Every unknown can be clarified. A riddle , a riddle or an unsolved mystery are questions whose resolution is not known until someone manages to solve them. In this sense, the Police are in charge of elucidating crimes so that those responsible can be judged.
Elucidate: observe in the dark
Sometimes, people often have doubts about whether the verb is really written elucidate or elucidate. In this sense, it must be said that both options are correct and also have the same meaning. That is, these are synonymous verbs.
Elucidating, in addition, can be associated with trying to notice what we see in the dark or at a great distance : “I can't figure out who is talking to Mario at the door of the bar,” “When figuring out that the thief had a weapon, the man tried protect your family.”