Main Entry:

ex·plain

Pronunciation:

\ik-ˈsplān\

Function:

verb

Etymology:

Middle English explanen, from Latin explanare, literally, to make level, from ex- + planus level, flat — more at floor

Date:

15th century

transitive verb1 a: to make known <explain the secret of your success> b: to make plain or understandable <footnotes that explain the terms>2: to give the reason for or cause of <unable to explain his strange conduct>3: to show the logical development or relationships of <explained the new theory>intransitive verb: to make something plain or understandable <a report that suggests rather than explains>

— ex·plain·able \-ˈsplā-nə-bəl\ adjective

— ex·plain·er noun

— explain oneself

: to clarify one's statements or the reasons for one's conduct

synonyms explain, expound, explicate, elucidate, interpret mean to make something clear or understandable. explain implies a making plain or intelligible what is not immediately obvious or entirely known <explain the rules>. expound implies a careful often elaborate explanation <expounding a scientific theory>. explicate adds the idea of a developed or detailed analysis <explicate a poem>. elucidate stresses the throwing of light upon as by offering details or motives previously unclear or only implicit <elucidate an obscure passage>. interpret adds to explain the need for imagination or sympathy or special knowledge in dealing with something <interpreting a work of art>.