1. picture which illustrates a book or other work; making of such a picture; clarification, explanation. illustration\il`lus*tra"tion\ , n. [l. illustratio: cf. f. illustration.].
2. the act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct; education; also, the state of being illustrated, or of being made clear and distinct.
3. that which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity.
4. a picture designed to decorate a volume or elucidate a literary work.illustration n.
5. artwork that helps make something clear or attractive.
6. showing by example [syn: exemplification].
7. a single item of information that is representative of a type; "this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is a good example on page 10" [syn: example, instance, representative].
8. a visual representation (a picture or diagram) that is used make some subject more pleasing or easier to understand.
9. The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct; education; also, the state of being illustrated, or of being made clear and distinct.
10. That which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity.
11. A picture designed to decorate a volume or elucidate a literary work. a visual representation that is used make some subject more pleasing or easier to understand artwork that helps make something clear or attractive.
12. 1. An illustration is an example or a story which is used to make a point clear. a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences.
13. An illustration in a book is a picture, design, or diagram. She looked like a princess in a nineteenth-century illustration. see also:
illustrate.