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)

The act or process of explaining.
The explanation was long and drawn-out.
Something that explains, makes understandable.
An explanation for the UFO sightings was easily found.
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)

Related terms

explain
explanatory
explicative
explicator
explicatory

Translations

the act or process of explaining

Albanian: please add this translation if you can
Arabic: تَفْسِير‎ m (tafsīr), شَرْح‎ m (šarḥ)
Armenian: բացատրություն (hy) (bacʿatrutʿyun)
Assamese: ব্যাখ্যা (byakhya)
Asturian: esplicación f
Azerbaijani: izah etmə
Basque: please add this translation if you can
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)
Mandarin: 解釋／解释 (zh) (jiě shì)
Czech: vysvětlení (cs) n, objasnění n
Danish: forklaring c
Dutch: verklaring (nl) f, toelichting (nl) f, uitleg (nl) m
Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
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)
Mongolian: тайлбар (mn) (tajlbar)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: forklaring (no) m or f
Occitan: explicacion (oc) f
Old English: racu f
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
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:
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