explanation

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explanation

Alternative forms

explaination (misspelling or obsolete spelling)

Etymology

From Latin explanatio (“an explanation, interpretation”), from explanare (“explain”); see explain. Morphologically explain +‎ -ation. Displaced native Old English racu.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

explanation (countable and uncountable, plural explanations)

The act or process of explaining.
The explanation was long and drawn-out.
Something that explains or makes understandable.
An explanation for the UFO sightings was easily found.
- 1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, page 427:
  The socialist will, of course, see in this merely a proof that the more intelligent person is today bound to become a socialist. But this is far from being the necessary or even the most likely explanation.
A resolution of disputed points pursuant to discussion; a mutual clarification of disputed points; reconciliation.
- 1815, Jane Austen, Emma, volume III, chapter 3:
  This little explanation with Mr. Knightley gave Emma considerable pleasure.

Synonyms

(act or process of explaining): clarification; elucidation; elaboration; explaining; explication; femsplaining (pej., particularly by a feminist to a man); mansplaining, mansplanation (pej., particularly by a man to a woman)

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

the act or process of explaining

Afrikaans: verduideliking (af)
Albanian: shpjegim (sq) m, sqarim (sq) m, ftillim (sq) m
Arabic: تَفْسِير m (tafsīr), شَرْح m (šarḥ), تَوْضِيح m (tawḍīḥ), تَعْلِيل m (taʕlīl), نِقَاش m (niqāš)
Armenian: բացատրություն (hy) (bacʻatrutʻyun), մեկնաբանություն (hy) (meknabanutʻyun)
Assamese: ব্যাখ্যা (byakhya)
Asturian: esplicación f
Aymara: qhananchawi
Azerbaijani: izah etmə
Basque: azalpen
Belarusian: аб'ясьне́нне n (abʺjasʹnjénnje), аб'ясьне́ньне (abʺjasʹnjénʹnje), тлумачэ́нне n (tlumačénnje), тлумачэ́ньне n (tlumačénʹnje)
Bulgarian: обясне́ние (bg) n (objasnénie)
Catalan: explicació (ca) f
Cherokee: ꮧꭺꮟꮜꮕ (digosisanv)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 解釋 / 解释 (gaai² sik¹), 說明 / 说明 (syut³ ming⁴)

Mandarin: 解釋 / 解释 (zh) (jiěshì), 說明 / 说明 (zh) (shuōmíng)
Czech: vysvětlení (cs) n, objasnění n
Danish: forklaring c
Dutch: verklaring (nl) f, toelichting (nl) f, uitleg (nl) m
Esperanto: klarigo
Estonian: selgitus (et)
Finnish: selittäminen (fi)
French: explication (fr) f
Galician: explicación (gl) f
Georgian: განმარტება (ganmarṭeba)
German: Erläuterung (de) f, Erklärung (de) f, Ausführung (de) f
Gothic: 𐍃𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 f (skeireins)
Greek: εξήγηση (el) f (exígisi)
Ancient: ἐξήγησις f (exḗgēsis)
Hebrew: הֶסבֵּר (he) (hesbér)
Hindi: स्पष्टीकरण (hi) m (spaṣṭīkraṇ), समझाना (hi) (samjhānā), व्याख्या (hi) f (vyākhyā)
Hungarian: magyarázat (hu), indoklás (hu), kifejtés (hu), értelmezés (hu)
Icelandic: útskýring (is) f
Indonesian: penjelasan (id)
Irish: míniú m, mínithe m pl
Italian: spiegazione (it) f, esplicazione (it) f, chiarificazione (it) f, esegesi (it) f
Japanese: 説明 (ja) (せつめい, setsumei)
Khmer: ការពន្យល់ (kaa pŭənyŭəl)
Korean: 설명(說明) (ko) (seolmyeong)
Latin: explanatio f, lux (la) f
Latvian: skaidrojums m
Lithuanian: paaiškinimas m
Macedonian: објаснување n (objasnuvanje)
Marathi: स्पष्टीकरण n (spaṣṭīkraṇ)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: тайлбар (mn) (tajlbar)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: forklaring (no) m or f
Occitan: explicacion (oc) f
Old English: racu f
Ottoman Turkish: افاده (ifade)
Persian:
Dari: تَوْضِیح (tawzīh), شَرْح (šarh)

Iranian Persian: تُوْضیح (towzih), شَرْح (šarh)
Polish: objaśnienie (pl) n, wyjaśnienie (pl) n
Portuguese: explicação (pt) f, explanação (pt) f
Romanian: explicare (ro) f
Russian: объясне́ние (ru) n (obʺjasnénije), разъясне́ние (ru) n (razʺjasnénije), растолко́вывание (ru) n (rastolkóvyvanije)
Scottish Gaelic: soilleireachadh m, mìneachadh m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: објашње́ње n

Roman: objašnjénje (sh) n
Slovak: vysvetlenie n, objasnenie n
Slovene: razlaga f
Spanish: explicación (es) f
Swedish: förklaring (sv) c
Tagalog: paliwanag
Tajik: шарҳ (tg) (šarh), тавзеҳ (tavzeh)
Telugu: వివరణ (te) (vivaraṇa)
Thai: การอธิบาย (th) (gaan-à-tí-baai)
Turkish: açıklama (tr)
Ukrainian: поя́снення n (pojásnennja), тлума́чення (uk) n (tlumáčennja), роз'я́снення n (rozʺjásnennja)
Urdu: وَضاحَت f (vazāhat), تَوضِیح f (tauzīh)
Welsh: eglurhad
West Frisian: útlis c

something that explains — see also exegesis

Asturian: esplicación f
Azerbaijani: izah (az)
Bulgarian: обясне́ние (bg) n (objasnénie)
Catalan: explicació (ca) f
Chinese:
Cantonese: 說明 / 说明 (syut³ ming⁴)

Mandarin: 說明 / 说明 (zh) (shuōmíng)
Czech: vysvětlení (cs) n
Danish: forklaring c
Dutch: verklaring (nl) f, uitleg (nl) m
Esperanto: klarigo
Finnish: selitys (fi)
French: explication (fr) f
Galician: explicación (gl) f
German: Erklärung (de) f
Greek: εξήγηση (el) f (exígisi)
Hindi: व्याख्या (hi) f (vyākhyā), विवरण (hi) m (vivraṇ)
Hungarian: magyarázat (hu), megfejtés (hu)
Icelandic: útskýring (is) f
Old English: racu f
Portuguese: explicação (pt) f, explanação (pt) f
Romanian: explicație (ro) f
Russian: объясне́ние (ru) n (obʺjasnénije)
Thai: การอธิบาย (th) (gaan-à-tí-baai)
Turkish: izah (tr)
Ukrainian: поя́снення n (pojásnennja)
Uzbek: izoh (uz)

reconciliation

Bulgarian: оправда́ние (bg) n (opravdánie)
Dutch: uitvlucht (nl), uitleg (nl) m
French: explication (fr) f
Greek: δικαιολογία (el) f (dikaiología)
Hungarian: tisztázás (hu)
Russian: оправда́ние (ru) n (opravdánije)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} klarigo
Italian: ^{(please verify)} spiegazione (it) f
Romanian: ^{(please verify)} explicație (ro) f