Serving to explain or clarify; intended to make something clearer or more understandable.
From Latin 'explicatorius', combining 'explicare' (unfold) + '-ory' (serving to). This adjective describes something having the function or purpose of explaining.
English has at least four words meaning roughly the same thing—'explanatory,' 'explicatory,' 'explicative,' and 'expository'—but 'explanatory' won out as the winner because it's simpler and sounds more natural.
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