Explicably

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that can be clearly accounted for or rationalized
2. Carried out in a manner that allows for comprehension and justification
3. Done in a way that can be logically justified and made clear

Etymology: "Explicably" is simply "explicable" with the adverbial ending "-ly" added, so its history is that of its base. "Explicable" comes from the Latin "explicabilis", formed from "explicare", "to unfold or make plain", which is itself built from "ex-" ("out") and "plicare", "to fold". The underlying image is of something folded up that can be opened out and laid flat, so that its contents become visible. An explicable event is one whose workings can be unfolded and shown to make sense. The "-ly" suffix, from Old English "-lic" meaning "having the form or quality of", turns the adjective into an adverb describing the manner of an action. So "explicably" describes doing something in a way that can be unfolded and justified, as when a phenomenon is "explicably" caused by known forces. The two parts of the word therefore carry the same sense of unfolding and making plain that the Latin root did.

Synonyms: clearly, understandably, comprehensibly

Antonyms: inexplicably, unaccountably