Brucker Bears 4-5: illuminate

Thursday, January 31, 2013

illuminate

(v.) - If you literally illuminate something, you make a light shine on it. If you figuratively illuminate somthing, you make it much clearer and easier to understand.

Synonyms: brighten, light up, hilight, spotlight
Antonyms: dim, darken, obscure, cloud
Etyomolgy: 1500 Latin, from in- meaning "in, into" + lumen meaning "light"
Example: The problem with many telescopes is that the light they generate themselves can illuminate objects that need to remain dark.

Click here to see Earth illuminated!

Here are more incredible composite images from NASA's Suomi NPP satellite:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/news/earth-at-night.html

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Welcome! Let us cheer for you!

I am a big fan of vocabulary! Why should words be dull when they can be dazzling? It is my goal for your kids to learn at least 180 impressive words this year, not just so that they will recognize and understand them, but so that they will use them. When they hear, read or say one of the following words, you should expect to hear a little cheer--go ahead, test them out if you dare!

To the left, you will find the official list of our Words of the Day, complete with definitions, synonyms, etymology (origin), and examples. Clicking on the word will take you to the Longman Dictionary for more information, including pronunciation. In fact, you can click on any bold, colorful word or phrase to take a virtual excursion on the web.

If your child hears one of these words in conversation or on TV, have him log on and share what he heard by adding a "comment" below the word. AND, if you want to see your child flex her vocabulary muscle, have her add a comment and use the word in a great sentence of her own!