Illustreerima

Illustreerima is a verb in Estonian meaning to illustrate: to provide visual material such as pictures, diagrams, or graphs to accompany and clarify text, or to illuminate concepts through examples or demonstrations. It is commonly used in publishing, education, journalism, and research to make information more accessible or persuasive.

The word is formed with the root illustreer- and the infinitive suffix -ma, and is borrowed from the French illustrer (to illustrate), through Baltic or Germanic linguistic contact. Related Estonian forms include the noun illustreerimine (the act of illustrating) and the term illustraator (illustrator).

In usage, illustreerima is typically transitive, taking an object that is being illustrated. Examples include: “Raamat illustreerib teksti piltidega” (The book illustrates the text with pictures) and “Artikkel illustreerib oma väiteid diagrammidega” (The article illustrates its claims with diagrams). The verb can be conjugated like other -ima verbs in Estonian, with present forms such as illustreerin, illustreerid, illustreerib, illustreerime, illustreerite, illustreerivad, and corresponding past and conditional forms.

See also: illustreerimine (the act of illustrating), illustraator (illustrator). The term is distinct from more general terms for explanation or clarification, and is specifically tied to the use of visual or demonstrative material to aid understanding.