Category:Explain

Ex*plain", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Explained;p. pr. & vb. n. Explaining.] Etym: [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.]

1. To flatten; to spread out; to unfold; to expand. [Obs.] The horse-chestnut is. . . ready to explain its leaf. Evelyn.

2. 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. Commentators to explain the difficult passages to you. Gay. To explain away, to get rid of by explanation. "Those explain the meaning quite "away." Pope.

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

explain Ex*plain", v. i.

Defn: To give an explanation.