From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishelicite‧li‧cit /ɪˈlɪsɪt/ ●○○ verb [transitive] FIND OUTto succeed in getting information or a reaction from someone, especially when this is difficult When her knock elicited no response, she opened the door and peeped in.elicit something from somebody The test uses pictures to elicit words from the child. —elicitation /ɪˌlɪsɪˈteɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
elicit• He or she is doing a certain thing and we interpret it in a certain way which elicits a given emotion.• Behavior eliciting a negative response decreased in frequency.• Short questions are more likely to elicit a response.• He, at least, was successful in eliciting an answer.• Her strength was her ability to elicit and inspire confidences rather than fear in the people she befriended.• Single conspicuous targets in the half-field contralateral to the lesion could elicit fixations, implying detection and orienting by a subcortical system.• The longest story is so full of pathos that the joke lines elicit only sympathy, not laughter.• She also elicited the views of the students about the way ward organisation helped them to learn.elicited ... response• Calls to dozens of independent agents elicited similar responses.• It is not entirely surprising that Wagner's gift of the Tristan poem elicited no response.• Slightly tentative, it warmed her eyes and elicited response.• Behavior that elicited a positive response from the environment increased in frequency.• When that elicited no response she opened it and peeped in.Origin elicit (1600-1700) Latin elicitus, past participle of elicere “to draw out” 