elicit

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin elicitus from eliciō (“draw forth”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈlɪsɪt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  Rhymes: -ɪsɪt

• Homophone: illicit

Verb

elicit (third-person singular simple present elicits, present participle eliciting, simple past and past participle elicited)

1. To evoke, educe (emotions, feelings, responses, etc.); to generate, obtain, or provoke as a response or answer.
   • 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], “(please specify the page)”, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 223–224:

     Shouts of laughter were elicited, smart biddings drawn out, from the whispers of a timid miss, to the stentorian voice of a fox-hunting squire, and not a few fracas from parties either contending for a supposed prize, or disclaiming their chance for it,...

2. To draw out, bring out, bring forth (something latent); to obtain information from someone or something.

   Fred wished to elicit the time of the meeting from Jane.

   Did you elicit a response?

   • 2009, William B. McGregor, Linguistics: An Introduction Answer Key:

     He visited three department stores in New York and asked the attendant a question that would elicit the answer fourth floor; for example, he might have asked Excuse me, where are women's shoes?

3. To use logic to arrive at truth; to derive by reason

   Synonyms: deduce, construe

Derived terms

• elicitability
• elicitable
• elicitation
• elicitin
• elicitor
• unelicited

 

Translations

to evoke, educe

• Arabic: يُهَيِّج (yuhayyij), يُوْقِظ (yuwqiẓ)
• Bulgarian: извличам (bg) (izvličam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 引出 (zh) (yǐnchū)

• Czech: vyvolat (cs) pf, vygenerovat pf, vyprovokovat pf, získat (cs) pf
• Danish: få frem, fremkalde (da)
• Dutch: ontlokken (nl), oproepen (nl)
• Finnish: herättää (fi), nostattaa (fi), saada aikaan (fi)
• French: susciter (fr)
• German: hervorlocken, hervorrufen (de), auslösen (de), erzeugen (de)
• Hungarian: kivált (hu)
• Italian: provocare (it), suscitare (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: avstedkomme (no), fremkalle, vekke (no), påkalle

• Portuguese: provocar (pt)
• Russian: вызыва́ть (ru) impf (vyzyvátʹ), вы́звать (ru) pf (výzvatʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: izazvati (sh), evocirati (sh), izvući, polučiti (sh)
• Slovak: vyvolať pf, vygenerovať pf, vyprovokovať pf, získať pf
• Spanish: provocar (es), suscitar (es), evocar (es), educir (es), elicitar (es)
• Swedish: locka fram, framkalla (sv), väcka (sv), få fram (sv)
• Turkish: (bilgi) edinmek (tr), (bilgi) temin etmek (tr), (gerçeği) ortaya çıkarmak (tr), (law) almak (tr), aydınlatmak (tr), çıkarmak (tr), (bir şeye) neden olmak (tr), (bir şeye) yol açmak (tr), (law) elde etmek (tr), meydana çıkarmak (tr), öğrenmek (tr), sağlamak (tr), aydınlığa çıkarmak, tepki göstermek, tepkiye neden olmak

to draw out, bring out

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: onthullen (nl), teweegbrengen (nl), veroorzaken (nl)
• Finnish: saada (fi), saada selville, houkutella (fi)
• French: causer (fr), réaliser (fr), obtenir (fr)
• German: herauslocken, entlocken (de), hervorzaubern (de), zum Vorschein bringen (de), enthüllen (de)
• Hungarian: előhív (hu), kivált (hu)
• Portuguese: conseguir (pt), levantar (pt), obter (pt)
• Russian: извлека́ть (ru) impf (izvlekátʹ), извле́чь (ru) pf (izvléčʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: izvesti (sh)
• Spanish: sonsacar (es), obtener (es), saconear (es)
• Swedish: få fram (sv)
• Ukrainian: витя́гувати impf (vytjáhuvaty), витяга́ти impf (vytjaháty), ви́тягнути pf (výtjahnuty)

to use logic to arrive at truth

• Catalan: deduir (ca), inferir (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 推斷／推断 (zh) (tuīduàn), 推理 (zh) (tuīlǐ)

• Danish: ræsonnere (da), slutte
• Dutch: redeneren (nl), afleiden (nl)
• Finnish: johtaa (fi), päätellä (fi)
• French: raisonner (fr), déduire (fr)
• German: schließen (de), schlussfolgern (de)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: resonnere (no), slutte (no)

• Portuguese: deduzir (pt), inferir (pt)
• Russian: выявля́ть (ru) impf (vyjavljátʹ), вы́явить (ru) pf (výjavitʹ), устана́вливать (ru) impf (ustanávlivatʹ), установи́ть (ru) pf (ustanovítʹ), де́лать вы́вод (ru) impf (délatʹ vývod), сде́лать вы́вод pf (sdélatʹ vývod)
• Serbo-Croatian: rezonirati (sh)
• Spanish: deducir (es), inferir (es)

Adjective

elicit (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Elicited; drawn out; made real; open; evident.
   • 1660, Jeremy Taylor, Ductor Dubitantium, or the Rule of Conscience in All Her General Measures; […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] James Flesher, for Richard Royston […], →OCLC:

     An elicit act of equity.

Latin

Verb

ēlicit

1. third-person singular present active indicative of ēliciō