explanation

English

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)

1. The act or process of explaining.

   The explanation was long and drawn-out.

2. Something that explains, makes understandable.

   An explanation for the UFO sightings was easily found.

3. 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

• inference to the best explanation

 

Related terms

• explain
• explanatory
• explicative
• explicator
• explicatory

Translations

the act or process of explaining

• Afrikaans: verduideliking (af)
• Albanian: shpjegim (sq) m, sqarim (sq) m
• Arabic: تَفْسِير m (tafsīr), شَرْح m (šarḥ), توضيح m, تعليل m, نقاش m
• 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)
• 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: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: selittäminen (fi)
• French: explication (fr) f
• Galician: explicación (gl) f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• 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)
• Hungarian: magyarázat (hu), indoklás (hu), kifejtés (hu), értelmezés (hu)
• Icelandic: útskýring 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: please add this translation if you can
• 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: تُوضیح (fa) (towzih), شَرح (fa) (šarh)
• Polish: objaśnienie (pl) n, wyjaśnienie (pl) n
• Portuguese: explicação (pt) f, explanação (pt) f
• Romanian: explicare (ro) f
• Russian: объясне́ние (ru) n (obʺjasnénije)
• 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)
• 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)
• Welsh: eglurhad
• West Frisian: útlis c

something that explains

• 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)
• Galician: explicación (gl) f
• German: Erklärung (de) f
• Greek: εξήγηση (el) f (exígisi)
• Hungarian: magyarázat (hu), megfejtés (hu)
• Icelandic: útskýring 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)

reconciliation

• Bulgarian: оправда́ние (bg) n (opravdánie)
• Dutch: uitvlucht (nl), uitleg (nl) m
• 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
• French: ^{(please verify)} explication (fr) f
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} spiegazione (it) f
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} explicație (ro) f
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} explicación (es) f

Further reading

• “explanation”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “explanation”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.