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1 definition found

From: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

 Ex·plain v. t. [imp. & p. p. Explained p. pr. & vb. n. Explaining.]
 1. To flatten; to spread out; to unfold; to expand. [Obs.]
    The horse-chestnut is . . . ready to explain its leaf.   --Evelyn.
 2. To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to expound; to unfold and illustrate the meaning of; as, to explain a chapter of the Bible.
    Commentators to explain the difficult passages to you.   --Gay.
 To explain away, to get rid of by explanation. “Those explain the meaning quite away.”
 Syn: -- To expound; interpret; elucidate; clear up.