Explanatory

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪkˈsplæn.ə.t(ə)ɹi/

Definitions

1. Serving to explain or make something clear and understandable
2. Designed to clarify or elucidate information while enhancing understanding of a subject matter or issue
3. Providing clarification to improve comprehension of a topic

Etymology: "Explanatory" is built from "explain" plus a Latin suffix, and the chain of borrowing runs through Late Latin. The Latin verb "explanare" meant "to explain," literally "to make plain or level out," from "ex-" ("out") and "planus" ("flat, level"). From it, Late Latin formed "explanator," an explainer, and then the adjective "explanatorius," meaning serving to explain. English took the adjective directly, and it displaced an older Old English word, "gereclic," which had meant something close to "plain" or "clear." The word's original idea of flattening something out survives in "explain" itself: to explain was once to smooth a tangled matter until it lay flat for inspection. "Explanatory" carries that same sense into adjectival use, describing something that serves to unfold or clarify a meaning.

Synonyms: clarifying, illustrative, explicatory

Antonyms: confusing, obscure, ambiguous