1. evoke or draw out (a reaction, answer, or fact) from someone: "I tried to elicit a smile from Joanna"
▪ draw forth (something that is latent or potential) into existence:"a corrupt heart elicits in an hour all that is bad in us"
Word Originmid 17th century: from Latin elicit- ‘drawn out by trickery or magic’, from the verb elicere, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out’ + lacere ‘entice, deceive’.