Part 929

Ex`pis*ca"tion (?), n. The act of expiscating; a fishing. [R.] Chapman.

Ex*pis"ca*to*ry (?), a. Tending to fish out; searching out [R.] Carlyle.

Ex*plain" (ks*pln"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Explained(- plnd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Explaining.] [L. explandare to flatten, spread out, explain; ex out + plandare to make level or plain, planus plain: cf. OF. esplaner, explaner. See Plain,a., and cf. Esplanade.] 1. To flatten; to spread out; to unfold; to expand. [Obs.]

The horse-chestnut is . . . ready to explain its leaf.

Evelyn.

2. To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to expound; to unfold and illustrate the meaning of; as, to explain a chapter of the Bible.

Commentators to explain the difficult passages to you.

Gay.

To explain away, to get rid of by explanation. "Those explain the meaning quite away." Pope.

Syn. -- To expound; interpret; elucidate; clear up.

Ex*plain", v. i. To give an explanation.

Ex*plain"a*ble (?), a. [L. explainabilis.] Capable of being explained or made plain to the understanding; capable of being interpreted. Sir. T. Browne.

Ex*plain"er (?), n. One who explains; an expounder or expositor; a commentator; an interpreter.

Ex"pla*nate, a. [L. explanatus, p. p. of explanare. See Explain.] (Bot. & Zoöl.) Spreading or extending outwardly in a flat form.

Ex`pla*na"tion (?), n. [L. explanatio: cf. OF. esplanation.] 1. The act of explaining, expounding, or interpreting; the act of clearing from obscurity and making intelligible; as, the explanation of a passage in Scripture, or of a contract or treaty.

2. That which explains or makes clear; as, a satisfactory explanation.

3. The meaning attributed to anything by one who explains it; definition; interpretation; sense.

Different explanations [of the Trinity].

Bp. Burnet.

4. A mutual exposition of terms, meaning, or motives, with a view to adjust a misunderstanding, and reconcile differences; reconciliation; agreement; as, to come to an explanation.

Syn. -- Definition; description; explication; exposition; interpretation; detail. See Definition.

Ex*plan"a*tive (?), a. Explanatory.

Ex*plan"a*to*ri*ness (?), n. The quality of being explanatory.

Ex*plan"a*to*ry (?), a. [L. explanatorius.] Serving to explain; containing explanation; as explanatory notes. Swift.

{ Ex*plat" (?), Ex*plate" (?), } v. t. [Pref. ex- + plat or plait.] To explain; to unfold. [Obs.]

Like Solon's self explatest the knotty laws.

B. Jonson.

Ex*ple"tion (?), n. [L. expletio a satisfying. See Expletive.] Accomplishment; fulfillment. [Obs.] Killingbeck.