expound

[ik-spound]

See more synonyms for expound on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to set forth or state in detail: to expound theories.
to explain; interpret.

verb (used without object)

to make a detailed statement (often followed by on).

Origin of expound

1250–1300; Middle English expounen, expounden < Old French espondre < Latin expōnere to put out, set forth, explain, equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + pōnere to put

Related formsex·pound·er, nounpre·ex·pound, verb (used with object)un·ex·pound·ed, adjective

Synonym study

2. See explain.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for expounding

exemplify, delineate, explain, express, clarify, explicate, illustrate, comment, elucidate, describe, state, discourse, interpret, unfold, present, construe, enucleate

Examples from the Web for expounding

Historical Examples of expounding

From a desk an ardent tabby is expounding, loud and long, on the rights of her kind.
Concerning Cats
Helen M. Winslow
He is interesting to us as the first philosopher who thought of expounding his system in verse.
The Legacy of Greece
Various
That's the way they always goes on expounding things to you.
The Drone
Rutherford Mayne
For the moment Ike Webb had the floor, expounding his own pet theories.
The Escape of Mr. Trimm
Irvin S. Cobb
I must, I felt, choose some other opportunity for expounding that side of the argument.
The Fixed Period
Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for expounding

expound

verb

(when intr, foll by on or about) to explain or set forth (an argument, theory, etc) in detailto expound on one's theories; he expounded his reasoning

Derived Formsexpounder, noun

Word Origin for expound

C13: from Old French espondre, from Latin expōnere to set forth, from pōnere to put

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 expounding

expound

c.1300, from Old French espondre "expound (on), set forth, explain," from Latin exponere "put forth, explain, expose, exhibit," from ex- "forth" (see ex-) + ponere "to put, place" (see position); with intrusive -d (cf. sound (n.1)). The usual Middle English form was expoune. Related: Expounded; expounding.