Elicit is a transitive verb meaning to draw out a reaction, response, or information from someone, often through questioning or prompting. It implies provoking a response that might not be openly offered without careful elicitation. Although used in formal contexts, it’s common in academic, professional, and investigative speech to bring information to light.
"The principal tried to elicit a confession from the suspect through careful questioning."
"Her questions were designed to elicit detailed feedback from the panel."
"The study aimed to elicit participants' attitudes toward the new policy."
"A good interviewer can elicit nuanced responses by asking open-ended questions."
Elicit comes from the Latin elicere, composed of ex- ‘out’ and lacēre ‘to entice, attract’ (related to lacere ‘to entice’). In Classical Latin, elicere meant to lure or draw forth. The term migrated into English via Medieval Latin and Old French intermediaries, maintaining the core sense of drawing something out from within. In English, it first appears in academic or rhetorical registers where one draws out information, reactions, or admissions from others. Over time, the verb broadened to domains like psychology, law, and journalism, retaining its implication of purposeful prompting rather than passive reception. The modern usage signals a deliberate method to obtain a response that isn’t readily volunteered, often through skillful questioning, prompting, or situational design. First known printed usages appear in the 17th–18th centuries as scholarship and investigative discourse expanded, with the nuance of “to draw forth” gradually stabilizing into the everyday sense used in contemporary English. Today, elicit is frequently paired with nouns like information, a confession, a response, or a reaction, emphasizing the driver of the outcome rather than the outcome itself.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Elicit" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Elicit" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Elicit"
-cit sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it as /ɪˈlɪs.ɪt/. Stress is on the second syllable: e-LI-cit. Start with a short, lax vowel /ɪ/ as in 'kit', then a light /l/; the second syllable has /ɪ/ again and ends with /t/. Tip: avoid a heavy 'ee' or a silent consonant. Practice by saying ‘ih-LIH-sit’ and then blend smoothly.
Common errors: treating the second syllable as ‘ee-luh-sit’ with an extra vowel, or turning it into a two-syllable word like ‘ee-LE-sit’. Also, some speakers add an extra /i/ between /l/ and /s/, saying /ɪˈliːs·ɪt/. Correction: keep the second syllable short /ɪ/ and stress the second syllable as /ˈlɪs/; avoid adding an extra vowel—close the syllables tightly: /ɪ-ˈlɪ-sɪt/.
US: /ɪˈlɪs.ɪt/ with a rhotic but light R absence after vowel. UK: /ɪˈlɪs.ɪt/ similar but with crisper /t/ and less vowel reduction. AU: /ɪˈlɪs.ɪt/ often with more clipped vowels and a slightly longer vowel in unstressed syllable. Across accents, the main difference is vowel quality and the timing of the syllables—the stress remains on the second syllable in all three.
The difficulty lies in the unstressed second syllable and the final /t/ after an /ɪ/ vowel cluster, which can soften or drop in fast speech. Learners may misplace the stress or turn /l/ into a darkened variant, or insert an extra vowel. Focus on maintaining a crisp /l/ and a short /ɪ/ in the second syllable, followed by a clear /t/. Practice with slow, then speed-up drills to keep the rhythm even.
The unique nuance is that elicit functions as a deliberate prompting act. Unlike similar verbs, its impact is about drawing out something that isn’t readily volunteered, requiring careful enunciation to avoid ambiguity—especially in high-stakes contexts like interviews or interrogations. Emphasize the second syllable to signal intentional prompting: /ɪˈlɪs.ɪt/. This aligns pronunciation with the semantic drive of the word.
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