definitions

explicate

[ ek-spli-keyt ]
/ ˈɛk splɪˌkeɪt /
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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.).

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

explementary angle, expletive, explicable, explicandum, explicans, explicate, explication, explication de texte, explicative, explicit, explicit function

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 forms

ex·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

/ (ˈɛksplɪˌkeɪt) /

verb (tr) formal

to make clear or explicit; explain
to formulate or develop (a theory, hypothesis, etc)

Derived Forms

explicative (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