Explaining

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Explain \Ex*plain"\ ([e^]ks*pl[=a]n"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
     {Explained}([e^]ks*pl[=a]nd"); p. pr. & vb. n. {Explaining}.]
     [L. explandare to flatten, spread out, explain; ex out +
     plandare to make level or plain, planus plain: cf. OF.
     esplaner, explaner. See {Plain},a., and cf. {Esplanade}.]
     1. To flatten; to spread out; to unfold; to expand. [Obs.]


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              The horse-chestnut is . . . ready to explain its
              leaf.                                 --Evelyn.
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     2. To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of
        obscurity; to expound; to unfold and illustrate the
        meaning of; as, to explain a chapter of the Bible.
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              Commentators to explain the difficult passages to
              you.                                  --Gay.
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     {To explain away}, to get rid of by explanation. "Those
        explain the meaning quite away." --Pope.
  
     Syn: To expound; interpret; elucidate; clear up.
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