To make something clear or easy to understand by describing it in more detail or in a simpler way. It can also mean to give reasons for an action or situation.
From Latin *explanare* ‘to make level, make clear’, from *ex-* (‘out’) and *planus* (‘flat, plain’). It originally meant ‘to smooth out’ or ‘make plain’.
To explain is literally to ‘flatten’ a complicated idea so your mind can walk across it. That’s why a good explanation feels like someone just cleared away all the bumps and fog in your thinking.
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