explication

American  

[ek-spli-key-shuhn] / ˌɛk splɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

explications plural

1. the act of explicating.

2. an explanation; interpretation.

   He gave a brilliant explication of James Joyce's book.

---

explication British  

/ ˌɛksplɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of explicating

2. analysis or interpretation, esp of a literary passage or work or philosophical doctrine

3. a comprehensive exposition or description

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reexplication
  noun
• self-explication
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• explications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of explication

1520–30; < Middle French < Latin explicātiōn- (stem of explicātiō ). See explicate, -ion

Explanation

Explication is the process of making something clearer. When you carefully explain your performance art piece to your mystified parents, you can describe what you're doing as an explication. The noun explication is closely related to "explicit," which essentially means "crystal clear." Both words come from the Latin explicitus, "unobstructed," which itself is a variant of explicare, "unfold or unravel." A good explication unravels any doubt or confusion and results in a crystal clear understanding, whether the explication involves performance art, the plot of a novel, or the complicated route to your grandmother's house.