explain

verbs

make plain and comprehensible

"He explained the laws of physics to his students"

explain, explicate

is derived from

is derived from

define

"The committee explained their plan for fund-raising to the Dean"

explain

is derived from

is derived from

is a type of (narrower)

express in words

"He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name"

serve as a reason or cause or justification of

"Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"

excuse, explain

is derived from