What does explanation mean?
An explanation is a statement or account that makes something clear, understandable, or intelligible, typically by setting out causes, reasons, or details. It can describe how a machine works, why a historical event unfolded as it did, or what a difficult passage of text means. The word also carries a second sense: a reason or justification offered for one's actions, as when someone owes an explanation for a mistake or absence. Neutral in tone, explanation serves equally well in casual conversation and formal writing, appearing constantly in science, law, education, and journalism, where rival explanations are weighed against evidence. It derives ultimately from the Latin explanare, 'to make flat or level', and hence 'to make clear' — the same root that gives us plain. Related forms include the verb explain and the adjective explanatory. Because clarity is among the most valued qualities in communication, explanation remains one of English's most useful and frequently used abstract nouns.
nounA statement or account that makes something clear or easy to understand by giving reasons, causes, or details; also, a reason or justification given for an action, belief, or event.
- A statement or account that makes something clear or comprehensible by describing how it works or why it happens.
- A reason or justification offered for someone's behavior or for why something occurred.
"The teacher's explanation of photosynthesis finally made the process click for the whole class."
"Her explanation of the plot twist left no questions in anyone's mind."
"He owed us an explanation for missing the meeting without notice."
The plural is common when comparing multiple possible accounts of the same phenomenon.
"Scientists have proposed several explanations for the planet's unusually warm atmosphere."
Every 'explanation' you've ever heard secretly carries the idea of flattening something out — it comes from the Latin planus, meaning 'flat' or 'clear'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of explanation
Explanation entered English in the early modern period, borrowed from the Latin explanatio, a noun formed on explanare, meaning 'to flatten, spread out, or make level', and figuratively 'to make clear or plain'. Explanare itself combines the prefix ex-, 'out', with planus, 'flat or clear', the root behind English words such as plain and plan. The related verb explain developed along a slightly different route through Old French espleinier before settling into its modern form.
Related word forms
How explanation is actually used
Explanation is neutral in register and fits both formal writing and everyday speech. In the plural, 'explanations' often appears when contrasting competing accounts of the same event, as in scientific or historical contexts.
Easily confused with explanation
An explication is a detailed, often scholarly analysis or unfolding of a text's meaning, whereas an explanation is any statement that makes something clear or accounts for it.