elusive
See also: élusive
English
Etymology
From Latin elusus past participle of eludo (“to parry a blow, to deceive”)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɪˈluːsɪv/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /iˈluːsɪv/
- Homophone: illusive
Adjective
elusive (comparative more elusive, superlative most elusive)
- Evading capture, comprehension or remembrance.
- The elusive criminal was arrested
- Difficult to make precise.
- A precise definition of diarrhea is elusive (Robbin's pathology, 8th ed)
- 1910, Jack London, chapter 6, in Lost Face:
- Charley chased the elusive idea through all the nooks and crannies of his drowning consciousness.
- Rarely seen.
- 2002, Scott Roederer, Birding: Rocky Mountain National Park, page 93:
- While you're sniffing the trunks of the ponderosas to see if they're butterscotch, vanilla, strawberry, or the elusive chocolate variety, watch for Brown Creepers, an elusive variety of bird.
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Related terms
- elude
Derived terms
- elusively
- elusiveness
Translations
evading capture, comprehension or remembrance
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difficult to describe
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Italian
Adjective
elusive
- Feminine plural of adjective elusivo.