Explanate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To provide a thorough clarification or detailed interpretation of a subject or concept through an explanatory process
2. To enhance the understanding of a particular topic by delivering comprehensive insights and explanations
3. To clarify a subject or idea by offering detailed information and reasoning

Etymology: "Explanate" is a rare English verb meaning to explain in detail, and its first recorded appearance dates to 1803. It was borrowed directly from Latin, where "explānātus" was the past participle of "explānō", and its literal sense was "flattened" or "smoothed out". The Latin verb is built from "ex-", "out", and "planus", "level" or "flat", so the picture behind it is of a surface spread out until nothing is hidden or folded up. Explaining, in this sense, meant unfolding a matter until it lay plain to view. English took the Latin participle and used it as an adjective, and the verb form came later. The suffix "-ate" in English words of this kind marks adjectives or verbs taken over from Latin, so the word carries that familiar ending as well as its original flat-surface meaning.

Synonyms: clarify, elucidate, expound

Antonyms: confuse, obfuscate