Enarratio

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A detailed exposition or elaboration on a narrative, particularly clarifying or interpreting its elements
2. An extensive commentary that explains the intricacies of a story or text in depth
3. A lengthy description that aims to illuminate the meaning and significance of a narrative through careful analysis

Etymology: In Roman schools, a teacher's "enarratio" was a detailed, line-by-line explanation of a text, especially a poem. The Latin verb "enarrare" combined "e-" (out, thoroughly) with "narrare," "to tell," so the sense was to tell a thing fully, unfolding its meaning step by step. The root "narrare" goes back to "gnarus," "knowing" or "acquainted with," which is also the ancestor of English "narrate" and "narrative." To narrate was originally to make something known in full, and a story was a way of making events known. The same idea sits inside "enarratio," where the telling is aimed at clarifying the meaning of a work rather than recounting its plot. Classical rhetoricians and grammarians, such as Quintilian, used the term for this kind of exposition, and it was revived by scholars who commented on ancient authors. In English it has remained a specialist term for an exegetical commentary, rarely used outside classical and literary scholarship.

Synonyms: explanation, interpretation, commentary, exegesis