From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishilluminationil‧lu‧mi‧na‧tion /ɪˌluːməˈneɪʃən, ɪˌljuː- $ ɪˌluː-/ noun formal 1 [uncountable]LIGHT lighting provided by a lamp, light etc White candles, the only illumination, burned on the table. soft illumination2 [countable usually plural]TCN a picture or pattern painted on a page of a book, especially in the past the illuminations in a medieval manuscript3 → illuminations4 [countable, uncountable] formalCLEAR/EASY TO UNDERSTAND a clear explanation or understanding of a particular subject
Examples from the Corpus
illumination• Very suitable for paludariums, it grows over rocks, stumps, or branches but requires artificial illumination.• The lighted shop windows threw a bleak illumination on to the empty pavements.• Then he slumps forward, face down, turned away from the last bit of dim illumination offered by the night sky.• The object was to study the effect of small changes in the exposure, illumination etc.• Among Clark's more important illuminations are his thoughts on Lewis' mysterious death.• The only illumination came from emergency lights over the doors.• Only toward the right, where the Argolid Temple stood, was there illumination.• Many of his utterances are crammed with illumination and entertainment. 