Explain

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: ex=plain

CIDE DICTIONARY

Explain, v. t. [L. explandare to flatten, spread out, explain; ex out + plandare to make level or plain, planus plain: cf. OF. esplaner, explaner. See Plain,a., and cf. Esplanade.].

•  To flatten; to spread out; to unfold; to expand.  [1913 Webster]

  "The horse-chestnut is . . . ready to explain its leaf."  [1913 Webster]
•  To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to expound; to unfold and illustrate the meaning of; as, to explain a chapter of the Bible.  [1913 Webster]

  "Commentators to explain the difficult passages to you."  [1913 Webster]

To explain away, to get rid of by explanation. “Those explain the meaning quite away.” Pope.

Syn. -- To expound; interpret; elucidate; clear up.

Explain, v. i. 

 To give an explanation.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Explain, v.tr.
1 make clear or intelligible with detailed information etc. (also absol. : let me explain).
2 (foll. by that + clause) say by way of explanation.
3 account for (one's conduct etc.).

Idiom

explain away minimize the significance of (a difficulty or mistake) by explanation. explain oneself
1 make one's meaning clear.
2 give an account of one's motives or conduct.

Derivative

explainable adj. explainer n.

Etymology

L explanare (as EX-(1), planus flat, assim. to PLAIN(1))

THESAURUS

Explain

absolve, account, account for, acquit, aid, allegorize, analyze, answer, bottom, break down, clarify, clear, clear the way, clear up, condone, construe, crack, cry sour grapes, debug, decipher, decode, define, delineate, demonstrate, demythologize, describe, destigmatize, detail, disclose, discourse, disentangle, divine, do, do justice to, dope, dope out, ease, elucidate, enlighten, euhemerize, exculpate, excuse, exemplify, exonerate, expedite, explain away, explicate, exposit, expound, extenuate, facilitate, fathom, figure out, find out, find the answer, find the solution, get, get across, get over, get right, give reason for, give the meaning, grease, grease the ways, grease the wheels, guess, guess right, harangue, hasten, have it, help along, hit it, hold forth, illuminate, illustrate, interpret, justify, lecture, legitimate, legitimatize, loose, lubricate, make clear, make it clear, make out, make plain, make way for, moralize, oil, open the lock, open the way, open up, palliate, pave the way, plumb, point a moral, popularize, preach, prepare the way, psych, psych out, purge, put across, put over, puzzle out, quicken, rationalize, ravel, ravel out, read a lesson, rehabilitate, reinstate, remove friction, resolve, restore, riddle, run interference for, sermonize, shed light upon, show, show how, show the way, simplify, smooth, smooth the way, soap the ways, solve, sort out, speed, spell out, throw light upon, unbar, unblock, unclog, undo, unfold, unjam, unlock, unravel, unriddle, unscramble, untangle, untwist, unweave, vindicate, vulgarize, warrant, work, work out

ROGET THESAURUS

Explain

Conformity

VB conform to, conform to rule, accommodate oneself to, adapt oneself to, rub off corners, be regular, move in a groove, follow observe the rules, go by the rules, bend to the rules, obey the rules, obey the precedents, comply with, tally with, chime in with, fall in with, be guided by, be regulated by, fall into a custom, fall into a usage, follow the fashion, follow the crowd, follow the multitude, pass muster, do as others do, hurler avec les loups, stand on ceremony, when in Rome do as the Romans do, go with the stream, go with the flow, swim with the stream, swim with the current, swim with the tide, blow with the wind, stick to the beaten track, keep one in countenance, exemplify, illustrate, cite, quote, quote precedent, quote authority, appeal to authority, put a case, produce an instance, elucidate, explain.

Answer

VB answer, respond, reply, rebut, retort, rejoin, give for answer, return for answer, acknowledge, echo, explain, solve, discover, fathom, hunt out, satisfy, set at rest, determine.

Interpretation

VB interpret, explain, define, construe, translate, render, do into, turn into, transfuse the sense of, find out, 1 the meaning of, read, spell out, make out, decipher, unravel, disentangle, find the key of, enucleate, resolve, solve, read between the lines, account for, find the cause, tell the cause of, throw light upon, shed light upon, shed new light upon, shed fresh light upon, clear up, clarify, elucidate, illustrate, exemplify, unfold, expound, comment upon, annotate, popularize, take in a particular sense, understand in a particular sense, receive in a particular sense, accept in a particular sense, understand by, put a construction on, be given to understand.

Information

VB tell, inform, inform of, acquaint, acquaint with, impart, impart to, make acquaintance with, apprise, advise, enlighten, awaken, transmit, let fall, mention, express, intimate, represent, communicate, make known, publish, notify, signify, specify, convey the knowledge of, let one know, have one to know, give one to understand, give notice, set before, lay before, put before, point out, put into one's head, put one in possession of, instruct, direct the attention to, announce, annunciate, report, report progress, bringword, send word, leave word, write word, telegraph, telephone, wire, retail, render an account, give an account, state, let slip, blurt out, spill the beans, unburden oneself of, let off one's chest, disclose, show cause, explain, hint, given an inkling of, give a hint, drop a hint, throw out a hint, insinuate, allude to, make allusion to, glance at, tip the wink, suggest, prompt, give the cue, breathe, whisper, whisper in the ear, give a bit of one's mind, tell one plainly, tell once for all, speak volumes, undeceive, unbeguile, set right, correct, open the eyes of, disabuse, disillusion one of, be informed of, know, learn, get scent of, get wind of, gather from, awaken to, open one's eyes to, become alive, become awake to, hear, overhear, understand, come to one's ears, come to one's knowledge, reach one's ears.