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explicate

[ek-spli-keyt]
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verb (used with object), ex·pli·cat·ed, ex·pli·cat·ing.

to make plain or clear; explain; interpret.
to develop (a principle, theory, etc.).

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RELATED WORDS

expound, elucidate, amplify, untangle, develop, dilate, expatiate, explain, unfold, demonstrate, construe, interpret, illustrate, enucleate

Nearby words

  1. expletively,
  2. expletory,
  3. explicable,
  4. explicandum,
  5. explicans,
  6. explication,
  7. explication de texte,
  8. explicative,
  9. explicatory,
  10. explicit

Origin of explicate

1525–35; < Latin explicātus unfolded, set forth, past participle of explicāre, equivalent to ex- ex-1 + plicāre to fold; see -ate1
Related formsex·pli·ca·tor, nounre·ex·pli·cate, verb (used with object), re·ex·pli·cat·ed, re·ex·pli·cat·ing.un·ex·pli·cat·ed, adjectivewell-ex·pli·cat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for explicate

British Dictionary definitions for explicate

explicate

verb (tr) formal

to make clear or explicit; explain
to formulate or develop (a theory, hypothesis, etc)
Derived Formsexplicative (ɪkˈsplɪkətɪv) or explicatory (ɪkˈsplɪkətərɪ, -trɪ), adjectiveexplicator, noun

Word Origin for explicate

C16: from Latin explicāre to unfold, from plicāre to fold
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for explicate

explicate

v.

1530s, from Latin explicatus, past participle of explicare "unfold, unravel, explain" (see explicit).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper