# illustre
## English
### Etymology

The adjective is derived from Middle French illustre (15th c.) (French illustre), from Latin illustris (“bright, shining, brilliant, lustrous; clear, lucid; illustrious, distinguished, famous”), from illūstrō (“to illustrate”).
The verb is derived from Middle French illustrer (15th c.) (French illustrer), from illūstrāre (“to illustrate”).

### Adjective

illustre (comparative more illustre, superlative most illustre)
* (obsolete) illustrious

### Verb

illustre (third-person singular simple present illustres, present participle illustring, simple past and past participle illustred) (transitive, obsolete)
* To illuminate (something).
** 1608, [Guillaume de Salluste] Du Bartas, “[Du Bartas His First VVeek, or Birth of the VVorld: […].] The Fift Daie of the First VVeek.”, in Josuah Sylvester, transl., Du Bartas His Deuine Weekes and Workes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Humfrey Lownes [and are to be sold by Arthur Iohnson […]], published 1611, →OCLC, page 140:But, as the Phœnix on my Front doth gliſter, / Thou ſhalt the Finials of my Frame illuſtre.
* To make (someone) illustrious.

#### Derived terms

* illustrated (“made illustrious”, adjective)

### References

* OED 2nd edition 1989

### Anagrams

* Tulliers, illuster

## French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /i.lystʁ/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ystʁ
* Homophones: illustrent, illustres

### Etymology 1

From Latin illustris (“bright, shining, brilliant, lustrous; clear, lucid; illustrious, distinguished, famous”), from illūstrō (“to illustrate”).

#### Adjective

illustre (plural illustres)
* illustrious
** 1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche, translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Volume I, Chapter XXXIII:À Florence, riche et fameuse ville d’Italie, dans la province qu’on appelle Toscane, vivaient deux gentilshommes d’illustre famille, Anselme et Lothaire....In Florence, a rich and famous city of Italy, in the province called Tuscany, lived two gentlemen of illustrious family, Anselmo and Lothario....

##### Derived terms

* illustre inconnu

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

illustre
* inflection of illustrer:
** first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
** second-person singular imperative

### Further reading

* “illustre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Italian
### Etymology

From Latin illustris (“bright, shining, brilliant, lustrous; clear, lucid; illustrious, distinguished, famous”), from illūstrō (“to illustrate”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ilˈlu.stre/
* Rhymes: -ustre
* Hyphenation: il‧lù‧stre

### Adjective

illustre (plural illustri, superlative illustrissimo)
* illustrious, renowned, famous, distinguished
* notorious

#### Synonyms

* famoso, celebre, rinomato

#### Derived terms

* illustremente
* illustrissimo

### Further reading

* illustre in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

## Latin
### Adjective

illūstre
* nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of illūstris

### References

* “illustre”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press