"give a detailed account of," 1530s, from Latin explicatus, past participle of explicare "unfold, unravel, explain," from ex "out" (see ex-) + plicare "to fold" (from PIE root *plek- "to plait"). Related: Explicated; explicating.
explainable
explanation
explanatory
expletive
explicable
explicate
explication
explicative
explicit
explicitly
explode