elucitatio

Elucitatio is a Latin noun meaning the act or result of explaining, clarifying, or illuminating a difficult text or idea. In scholarly Latin, the term is often translated as elucidation or explanation and is used to signal a clarifying remark or section within a larger work.

Historically, elucitatio appears in medieval and early modern scholastic and exegetical writings. Authors employed it to designate a formal commentary element that resolves ambiguities, clarifies terms, or unfolds a sequence of reasoning. It commonly appeared in theological, philosophical, or legal contexts, where precise understanding of a passage was essential.

In modern usage, elucitatio is relatively rare outside Latin-language philology and textual criticism. When encountered, it generally refers to a note, gloss, or separate section devoted to explanation rather than to new doctrinal or argumentative content. It can describe the broader process of elucidation in textual criticism, including paraphrase, linguistic analysis, and source comparison aimed at making a text more comprehensible.

Related terms include elucidation, explanation, interpretation, explication, and gloss. The concept emphasizes clarity and comprehension, focusing on making an existing text or argument easier to understand rather than presenting novel conclusions.