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   Ex·plain

   /ikˈsplān/

   

   verb

   • 1. make (an idea, situation, or problem) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts or ideas: "they explained that their lives centered on the religious rituals" Similar describegive an explanation ofmake clear/plain/intelligiblespell output into wordsexpress in wordselucidateexpoundexplicatedelineateclarifyunfoldthrow light onclear upsimplifyglossinterpretdecipherdecodetranslatedemonstrateshowteachillustrateunraveluntangleresolvesolveinformal:get acrossget overOpposite obscure
   • ▪ account for (an action or event) by giving a reason as excuse or justification: "Callie found it necessary to explain her blackened eye" Similar account forgive an explanation forgive a reason forjustifygive a justification forgive an excuse/alibi/apologia formake excuses forexplain awayrationalizegive a rationale fordefendvindicatelegitimizemitigaterare:extenuate
   • ▪ be the cause of or motivating factor for: "her father's violence explains her pacificism"
   • ▪ minimize the significance of an embarrassing fact or action by giving an excuse or justification: "they know stories about me that I can't explain away"

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Latin explanare, based on planus ‘plain’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. explainable adjective

   Scrabble Points: 16

   • E

     1

   • X

     8

   • P

     3

   • L

     1

   • A

     1

   • I

     1

   • N

     1

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