Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “explain” come from?

Explain comes from Middle English explanen, from Old French explaner, from Latin explano meaning to flatten or make clear, formed from the prefix ex- and Ancient Greek πλάνος relating to wandering or error.

explain (English): To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to...

Definitions

  1. To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to...

Ancestry of “explain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishexplanen—
2Old Frenchexplaner—
3Latinexplanō—
4Latinplanō—
5Latinplānus—
6Ancient Greekπλάνοςwandering
7Ancient Greekπλανάωto make to wander, lead wandering about; to lead...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpl-néh₂-ti—

Words derived from “explain”

  • explanation
  • unexplainable
  • esplanade
  • explainable
  • explainer
  • unexplainably
  • inexplainable
  • explanationist
  • explanationism
  • explaineth
  • overexplain
  • explainability
  • nonexplanation
  • reexplanation
  • explainee
  • misexplanation
  • nonexplainable
  • explainest
  • underexplain
  • esplanaded
  • momsplain
  • straightsplain
  • -splain
  • blacksplain
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pl-néh₂-ti →