Explain
/ɪkˈspleɪn/noun
To make something clear or easy to understand by describing it in more detail.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin *explanare*, literally “to make level or smooth,” so explanation was originally about flattening out what was tangled or unclear.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pele-
“to spread, flatten, or make broad”
Latin
Latin
planus
“flat, level, plain”
Latin
Latin
explanare
“to make level, smooth out, clarify”
Old French
Old French
esplaner / espla(i)ner
“to explain, interpret, make clear”
Middle English
English
explainen
“to make clear, interpret”
Modern English
English
explain
“to make something clear or understandable”