noun

explication

ek-splih-KAY-shun/ˌeksplɪˈkeɪʃn/

A detailed explanation or interpretation of something.

The teacher offers a detailed explication of how plants grow.

Teacher giving a detailed explanation of plant growth to a learner.

Etymology

exLatinout

+plicLatinto fold

+ationLatinaction or process

Explication is literally an unfolding. That image became the act of explaining meaning, especially opening out the sense of a sentence or passage so it can be understood.

In context

John S Hatcher YouTube Presentations26:03

the first hundred pages is an explication of a verse which he cites on page 24

This Structure of the Book of Certitude

More examples

Her explication of the poem connects its imagery to grief.
The report includes a clear explication of the proposed rules.
We compare two explications of the same philosophical argument.

Forms

explication · explications

explicate verb — To explain or interpret in detail.

Similar words

explanation: A broader term that does not necessarily imply detailed analysis.
interpretation: Emphasizes an account of meaning rather than a full explanation.