ilustracyjna

Ilustracyjna is the feminine form of the Polish adjective ilustracyjny, meaning illustrative. It is used to describe things whose purpose is to illustrate or clarify information rather than to depict actual events. The term is common with feminine nouns, for example grafika ilustracyjna (illustrative graphic), fotografia ilustracyjna (illustrative photograph), funkcja ilustracyjna (illustrative function), or ilustracyjna postać (illustrative figure).

Etymology and usage notes: the word derives from the noun ilustracja (illustration) with the adjectival suffix -yczny, producing ilustracyjny; its feminine form, ilustracyjna, agrees with feminine nouns. There are corresponding forms for masculine and neuter: ilustracyjny and ilustracyjne.

In practical use, ilustracyjna describes material that serves to illustrate or explain content. In journalism and publishing, a common phrase is zdjęcie ilustracyjne, meaning a stock photograph used to accompany an article rather than a direct photo of the event. In academic or educational writing, phrases such as przykłady ilustracyjne (illustrative examples) or analogia ilustracyjna (illustrative analogy) are employed to indicate explanatory purpose.

Notes on scope: ilustracyjna functions as a descriptive attribute rather than a separate field of study. It appears across domains such as text design, graphic design, and communication to signal that an element has an instructional or clarifying role. The term can pair with a range of feminine nouns, while masculine and neuter forms (ilustracyjny, ilustracyjne) adjust to the noun’s gender.

See also: ilustracja, ilustrator, ilustracyjny, ilustracja w nauce.