Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Explanation has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
"the explanation was very simple"
"I expected a brief account"
thought that makes something comprehensible
"After hours of staring at the tangled wires, a simple diagram provided the explanation I needed to finally understand how the circuit worked."
the act of explaining; making something plain or intelligible
"I heard his explanation of the accident"
The act or process of explaining.
"The teacher spent the entire afternoon giving a detailed explanation of how photosynthesis works."
In plain English: An explanation is a clear way of telling someone why something happened or how it works so they can understand it.
"She offered a clear explanation for why she was late to the meeting."
Usage: Use "explanation" to refer to a clear statement or account that makes something understandable, rather than the abstract act of clarifying it. It typically describes the specific words or reasoning provided to resolve confusion about a situation.
The word entered Middle English from the Latin explanatio, originally meaning "an explanation or interpretation." It replaced an earlier Old English term, bringing with it a direct sense of making something clear that had already existed in the language.