Illumine or Illuminate

[zajeys]

I am putting together an official document.
One of my sentence is “Emergency luminaires are set up to illuminate at all times”

Here can the word "illuminate" be replaced with "illumine" , without changing the context?
Do they both mean one and the same?

 

[probus]

In an official document you should strongly prefer illuminate over illumine. Although the words are synonyms the connotations of illumine are faintly literary, and perhaps also slightly archaic. Illuminate, on the other hand, is a stalwart and unpretentious modern word.

 

[Raymott]

I am putting together an official document.
One of my sentence is “Emergency luminaires are set up to illuminate at all times”

Here can the word "illuminate" be replaced with "illumine" , without changing the context?
Do they both mean one and the same?

Is this meant to be a directive? It sounds unnecessarily complicated.
"Emergency lights are always on". Or if it is a procedure manual, "Emergency lights must always remain switched on".

 

[Tdol]

The term luminaire is used for the emergency lighting in my building that will come on in stairwells if there's a natural disaster and the electricity supply goes down, so they're not on, but can switch on at any time.

How about:

Emergency luminaires are ready to switch on at any time?

 

[5jj]

The term luminaire is used for the emergency lighting in my building that will come on in stairwells if there's a natural disaster

I have never heard of the word 'luminaire', though it appears in several dictionaries here. I would simply call that 'emergency lighting'.

Tdol, did you really use three question marks at the end of your post? :-(

 

[Tdol]

I hadn't come across the term until I moved here.

I used the multiple question marks to indicate that it wasn't a question but a question about a question. And it's late here. Careful or I will go for upper case with added exclamation marks.

 

[SoothingDave]

I have not seen that used for emergency lights either.

 

[5jj]

ICareful or I will go for upper case with added exclamation marks.

"I" RESIGN!!!!!!!