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elicit

[ih-lis-it]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to draw or bring out or forth; educe; evoke: to elicit the truth; to elicit a response with a question.
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Origin of elicit

1635–45; < Latin ēlicitus drawn out (past participle of ēlicere), equivalent to ē- e-1 + lici- draw, lure + -tus past participle suffix
Related formse·lic·i·ta·tion, noune·lic·i·tor, nounnon·e·lic·it·ed, adjectiveun·e·lic·it·ed, adjective
Can be confusedelicit illicit
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for elicitation

elicit

verb (tr)
  1. to give rise to; evoketo elicit a sharp retort
  2. to bring to lightto elicit the truth
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Derived Formselicitable, adjectiveelicitation, nounelicitor, noun

Word Origin

C17: from Latin ēlicere to lure forth, from licere to entice
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for elicitation

elicit

v.

1640s, from Latin elicitus, past participle of elicere "draw forth," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + -licere, comb. form of lacere "to entice, lure, deceive" (related to laqueus "noose, snare;" see lace (n.)). Related: Elicited; eliciting; elicits; elicitation.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper