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elicit

UK/ɪˈlɪsɪt/US/ɪˈlɪsɪt/
verbC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #10,624 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: elicited, eliciting, elicits

To elicit is to skilfully draw out a response or information. Elicit a response, elicit information, elicited laughter.

The skill is in the word: you elicit by asking the right way rather than by demanding. It is standard in teaching, where eliciting an answer from a class is preferred to giving it, and in interviewing. Note the difference from illicit, which means unlawful and sounds identical — the confusion is common in writing.

Definitions of elicit

  1. 1verbelicitTo skilfully draw out a response or information.C1

    “The police questioning failed to elicit any useful information from the suspect.”

elicit is a drawing out.

Where it comes from

Latin elicere is ex plus lacere, to lure. Delight and lace come from a related luring.

  1. Latin

    elicitus

  2. English, today

    elicit

Built from

  • eliciō · Latin — draw forth

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Sharper Verbs

Practise this word

elicit in the wild

  • The use of leading questions in court to elicit testimony is restricted in order to reduce the ability of the examiner to direct or influence the evidence presented.

    Leading question

  • Haptens are low-molecular-weight compounds that may be bound by antibodies, but cannot elicit an immune response.

    Immunogen

  • A secondary response can elicit antibodies with several fold greater affinity than in a primary response.

    Affinity maturation

  • The film was successful enough to elicit a sequel, Panama Patrol.

    Cipher Bureau (film)

  • If low volume ascites is suspected, then an attempt to elicit the puddle sign may be performed.

    Shifting dullness

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.