n. | 1. | The act of illuminating, or supplying with light; the state of being illuminated. |
2. | Festive decoration of houses or buildings with lights. | |
3. | Adornment of books and manuscripts with colored illustrations. See Illuminate, | |
4. | That which is illuminated, as a house; also, an ornamented book or manuscript. | |
5. | That which illuminates or gives light; brightness; splendor; especially, intellectual light or knowledge. | |
6. | (Theol.) The special communication of knowledge to the mind by God; inspiration. Hymns and psalms . . . are framed by meditation beforehand, or by prophetical illumination are inspired. |
Noun | 1. | illumination - a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination; "follow God's light" Synonyms: light |
2. | illumination - the degree of visibility of your environment | |
3. | illumination - an interpretation that removes obstacles to understanding; "the professor's clarification helped her to understand the textbook" Synonyms: clarification, elucidation | |
4. | illumination - the luminous flux incident on a unit area Synonyms: illuminance | |
5. | illumination - painting or drawing included in a book (especially in illuminated medieval manuscripts) Synonyms: miniature |