Explained

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪkˈspleɪnd/

Definitions

1. Made something clear or easy to understand by describing or giving reasons
2. Provided details or reasons to make an idea or situation comprehensible
3. Clarified by offering information that removes confusion or doubt

Etymology: "Explained" is the past tense and past participle of "explain," so the story belongs to the verb itself. The most surprising part is the image hidden inside it: Latin "explanare" meant "to flatten out" or "spread out," built from "ex-" (out) and "planus" (level, flat). That same root gave English "plain," "plane," and "esplanade," a level walkway along a waterfront. The sense of making something clear came from that idea of spreading something out so that every part of it can be seen. Something laid flat on a table is easy to inspect, and an explanation spreads an idea out in the same way. Middle English borrowed the verb through Old French "explaner," which was still close to the Latin meaning of smoothing or levelling. English already had a native verb for this purpose, Old English "reċċan" (a relative of "reckon"), but "explain" displaced it, so the older word has disappeared from common use.

Synonyms: clarified, elucidated, interpreted

Antonyms: confused, obscured