Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

illustris (inl-), e (nom. sing. masc. illuster. Val. Max. 4, 1, 5; 4, 3, 11), adj. [inlustro], lighted up, clear, bright, light, lustrous (class.; esp. freq. in the trop. signif.).

  1. I. Lit.: ostendebat Carthaginem de excelso et pleno stellarum, illustri et claro quodam loco, Cic. Rep. 6, 11; cf.: tum nec nimis illustres nec vehementer obscuros locos haberi oportet, Auct. Her. 3, 19, 32: locus, Cels. 3, 6: habitare bonis et illustribus domiciliis, Cic. N. D. 2, 37, 95: balnearia, Col. 1, 6, 2: illustris et pellucida stella, Cic. Div. 1, 57, 130: radii solis, Plin. 18, 35, 78, § 344: noctes, id. 9, 16, 23, § 56: caelum, Val. Fl. 6, 528.
    Comp.: ostio et lumine illustriore, Varr. R. R. 3, 5, 5; cf.: solis candor illustrior est quam ullius ignis, Cic. N. D. 2, 15, 40: (ventus) tegulas illustriores fecit, Plaut. Rud. 1, 1, 6.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. Clear, plain, distinct, evident, manifest (syn. clarus): praeter haec, quae testata sunt et illustria, habeo multa occultiora, Cic. Fam. 11, 27, 6: his rationibus tam certis tamque illustribus, etc., id. Rep. 1, 3; cf.: illustribus igitur rebus insistis … a certis et illustrioribus cohibes assensum, id. Ac. 2, 29, 94: nec vero ita disseram de re tam illustri tamque nota, ut, etc., id. Rep. 1, 24 Mos.: factum illustre notumque omnibus, id. Verr. 2, 5, 13, § 34: visus insignis et illustris, id. N. D. 1, 2, 15 fin.: illustris oratio est, si, etc. … est enim haec pars orationis, quae rem constituat paene ante oculosest plus aliquanto illustre quam illud dilucidum: altero fit, ut intelligamus, altero vero ut videre videamur, id. Part. Or. 6, 20: si desit illustris explanatio, propositio, etc., Quint. 9, 2, 2: instruenda est vita exemplis illustribus, Sen. Ep. 83.
    2. B. Distinguished, respectable, famous, honorable, illustrious (cf.: clarus, insignis, spectabilis, nobilissimus, celeber, inclutus): homines illustres honore ac nomine, Q. Cic. Petit. Cons. 5, 18: illustrium hominum aetates et tempora persequi (shortly after: de clarorum virorum laudibus), Cic. Brut. 19, 74: illustribus in personis temporibusque, id. Rep. 2, 31 fin.: orator, id. Brut. 32, 122: poëtae, Quint. 5, 11, 36: florens et illustris adulescens, Caes. B. G. 7, 32, 4: de antiquis illustrissimus quisque pastor erat, Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 6: philosophorum illustrissimi, Gell. 18, 7, 3: feminae, noble, Suet. Tib. 45; id. Calig. 36: cum illustribus provinciarum, id. Caes. 48: quorundam illustrium exsequiae, id. Tib. 32: paterfamiliae illustriore loco natus, Caes. B. G. 6, 19, 3: Themistoclis nomen est quam Solonis illustrius, Cic. Off. 1, 22, 75: vitae ratio illustrior, id. Rep. 3, 3; cf.: sunt illustriora quae publice fiunt, id. ib. 3, 12: haec vides quanto expressiora quantoque illustriora futura sint, id. Fam. 1, 7, 9: major atque illustrior res, more important, more remarkable, Caes. B. G. 7, 3, 2: causarum illustrium quascumque defendi nunc conficio orationes, Cic. de Sen. 11, 38.
      Hence, adv. (acc. to II. A.), clearly, distinctly, perspicuously (very rare; only comp. and sup.): illustrius, Cic. Fam. 10, 19, 1; id. Dom. 11, 27; Arn. 2, 44: illustrissime descripsit, Gell. 9, 13, 4.