explanatory

English

Etymology

From Middle English explanen, from Old French explaner, from Latin explanō (“I flatten, spread out, make plain or clear, explain”), from ex- (“out”) + planō (“I flatten, make level”), from planus (“level, plain”); see plain and plane. Compare esplanade, splanade. Displaced native Middle English arecchen, irecchen (“to explain, expound”) (from Old English āreccan, ġereccan).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪkˈsplanət(ə)ɹi/, /ɛkˈsplanət(ə)ɹi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪkˈsplanətɔːɹi/, /ɛkˈsplanətɔːɹi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

explanatory (comparative more explanatory, superlative most explanatory)

1. Intended to serve as an explanation.

   Below the diagram is an explanatory text.

2. (of a person) Disposed to explain.

Translations

serving as an explanation

• Armenian: բացատրական (hy) (bacʿatrakan)
• Bulgarian: обяснителен (bg) (objasnitelen)
• Catalan: explicatiu (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 说明的, 解释的

• Danish: forklarende, oplysende
• French: explicatif (fr)
• Hungarian: magyarázó, értelmező (hu)

• Italian: esplicativo (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forklarende

• Spanish: explicativo
• Ukrainian: поя́снювальний (pojásnjuvalʹnyj), тлума́чний (tlumáčnyj)