What does annunciate mean?
To annunciate is to announce or proclaim something formally and publicly. The verb carries a tone of ceremony and authority, evoking official decrees, proclamations by heralds, and solemn declarations rather than casual mentions. It derives from the Latin annuntiare, meaning 'to bring news' or 'to proclaim', formed from ad- ('to') and nuntiare ('to announce'), which also gives us 'announce', 'pronounce', 'denounce', and 'nuncio'. While largely literary today, the word survives actively in technical fields such as aviation and industrial control systems, where an 'annunciator' is a panel of signal lights that reports equipment status. Because it closely resembles the more familiar 'enunciate' — which concerns clear pronunciation or precise statement of ideas — the two are often confused. Choosing 'annunciate' lends writing a deliberate, elevated register appropriate for formal proclamation or ceremonial declaration.
verbTo announce or proclaim something formally and publicly; to make a formal declaration of.
- To announce or proclaim something formally and publicly.
- (Rare, technical) To signal or indicate, as in the flashing lights on an annunciator panel that report the status of equipment.
"The herald annunciated the arrival of the new sovereign to the assembled court."
"The town crier annunciated the royal decree in the market square."
"A red light annunciated the fault on the aircraft's control panel."
The same Latin root that gave us 'annunciate' also gave the Catholic world the Annunciation — the moment an angel announced Christ's birth to Mary.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of annunciate
Annunciate comes from the Latin annuntiare, meaning 'to announce or proclaim', built on nuntiare ('to announce'), from nuntius ('messenger'). The word entered English in the late Middle English period through ecclesiastical use, strongly associated with the Annunciation — the angel Gabriel's announcement to the Virgin Mary. Its Latin relatives include announce, pronounce, denounce, and nuncio, all sharing the root nuntiare.
Related word forms
How annunciate is actually used
Formal and somewhat literary; 'announce' is far more common in everyday speech. In engineering contexts, 'annunciate' has a specialized sense of signaling a condition via warning indicators.
Easily confused with annunciate
Enunciate means to pronounce words clearly and distinctly or to state an idea precisely, whereas annunciate means to announce or proclaim something formally.