[f. L. explicāt- ppl. stem of explicā-re, f. ex- out + plicāre to fold, PLY.]
† 1. trans. To unfold, unroll; to smooth out (wrinkles); to open out (what is wrapped up); to expand (buds, leaves, etc.). Obs.
1620. Bp. King, Serm., 8. When he intendeth his business to purpose, then hee standeth vpon his feet, explicateth and displayeth his limbes.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., II. vi. § 4. 99. [The Rose of Jericho] will … explicate its flowers contracted.
1651. Bedell, Life Erasmus, in Fuller’s Abel Rediv., 69. A gold Ring, which explicated, became an exact celestiall sphere.
1660. Sharrock, Vegetables, 37. The leaves either rowled up, or otherwise inclosed, break their bonds, and explicate themselves.
1710. T. Fuller, Pharm. Extemp., 193. It [the Glyster] … explicates Corrugations of the Fibres.
1712. Blackmore, Creation, 66. They explicate the leaves.
fig. 1536. Latimer, 1st Serm. bef. Convoc., Wks. I. 32. If ye diligently roll them in your minds, and after explicate and open them.
a. 1652. J. Smith, Sel. Disc., V. 140. Our love is wont to explicate and unfold its affection.
† b. To spread out, expand in area or volume.
1578. Banister, Hist. Man, VIII. 103. The Muscles … explicatyng their owne substaunce, do constitute a tendinous Membran.
1666. G. Harvey, Morb. Angl. (1672), iv. 31. The blood being thus expanded and explicated into a turgency.
† c. To spread out to view, display. Obs.
1647. H. More, Poems, 235. From her centre Her pregnant mind she [the soul] fairly explicates By actuall forms.
1678. Wanley, Wond. Lit. World, III. xliv. § 30. 227/2. There the Zodiack did explicate its Signs.
† 2. a. To disentangle, unravel; fig. (cf. 6). b. To disentangle, extricate from, out of difficulties.
a. 1663. Sir G. Mackenzie, Relig. Stoic, xiii. (1685), 124. Apter to beget than to explicate difficulties.
a. 1713. Ellwood, Autobiog., Supp. (1714), 438. I might cite a great deal more, to explicate this Controversie.
b. 1614. Raleigh, Hist. World, II. V. v. § 6. 582. Hee did neuer meet with any difficultie, whence hee could not explicate himselfe.
1668. Clarendon, Vind., Tracts (1727), 53. There was no Way to explicate the Kingdom out of those Intricacies in which it was involved.
3. To develop, bring out what is implicitly contained in (a notion, principle, proposition).
1628. T. Spencer, Logick, 260. A simple Syllogisme hath the parts contracted, or explicated.
a. 1716. South, Serm. (1717), VI. 427. To explicate and draw forth this General into the several Particulars wrapt up and included in it.
1837–8. Sir W. Hamilton, Logic, xix. (1866), I. 383. I do not think it necessary to explicate these two reasonings.
1864. Bowen, Logic, iii. 48. By logicians generally, however, this principle has been explicated into three general Axioms.
4. To unfold in words; to give a detailed account of. Sometimes with indirect question as obj. Now rare; = EXPLAIN 3 a.
1531. Elyot, Gov., I. xv. I name him a gramarien … that can expounde good autours explicating the figures as well of sentences as wordes.
1553. Pole, in Strype, Cranmer, II. 173. Ye have explicated how the whole matter … may be concluded.
1657. Tomlinson, Renou’s Disp., 145. We might dilucidly explicate the accurate composition of Medicaments.
a. 1734. North, Exam., III. vii. § 52 (1740), 541. The Terms good and bad … being beforehand well explicated to the People.
1831. Crayons fr. Commons, 48.
| In dismal, doleful, ploratory strain, | |
| He explicates th’ amount of loss and gain. |
a. 1834. Lamb, Misc. Wks. (1871), 504. An unfairness … which this would not be quite the proper place for explicating.
absol. 1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot. (1885), 8. Bot will explicat mair at large.
1651–3. Jer. Taylor, Serm. for Year, I. (1850), 17. As Christ related, and His Apostles recorded and explicated.
† 5. To disclose the cause or origin of (a phenomenon); to account for. Obs.; = EXPLAIN v. 5.
1605. Timme, Quersit., I. vii. 29. To explicate the sowernes of the vineagar.
1660. Boyle, New Exp. Phys.-Mech., i. (1682), 13. There is yet another way to explicate the Spring of the Air.
1729. Butler, Serm., Pref., Wks. 1874, II. 10. Perceptions … which … it may not be very easy at first view to explicate.
6. To make clear the meaning of (anything); to remove difficulties or obscurities from; to clear up, explain. Now rare; = EXPLAIN v. 3 b.
1622–62. Heylin, Cosmogr., Introd. (1674), 18/1. Geography we will first define … And after explicate such terms … as are not obvious.
1650. S. Clarke, Eccl. Hist., I. (1654), 45. He was wondrous quick to explicate obscure places of Scripture.
1693. Dryden, Juvenal, Ded. (1697), p. liii. The last Verse of his last Satire … is not yet sufficiently explicated.
1814. W. Van Mildert, Bampton Lect., iii. (ed. 2), 82. Vain attempts to explicate points which … nust ever remain enveloped in … mystery.
1865. Bushnell, Vicar. Sacr., IV. i. (1868), 450. Terms by which they [the lustral figures] must be explicated.
† b. refl. To explain oneself; to make clear one’s meaning. Obs.
1563. Nowel, Serm. bef. Queen (1853), 225. To explicate myself, I say, [etc.].
1631. Bp. Hall, Rem. Wks. (1660), 205. The Church of England having plainly explicated herself.
1638. Featly, Transub., 253. Once more explicate your selfe.
† c. intr. To enter into explanations. Obs. rare.
1781. Mad. D’Arblay, Diary & Lett., II. 77. We explicated about the letters and the coach and so forth.
Hence Explicated ppl. a., unfolded, expanded; explained. Explicating vbl. sb., the action of the verb EXPLICATE. Explicating ppl. a., that unfolds; in quot. intr. for refl. expansive.
1884. Fairbairn, in Contemp. Rev., March, 362. A religion always is as its deity is … as it were the explicated idea of Him.
1531. Elyot, Gov., I. xiii. To him belongeth the explicating or unfoldinge of sentence.
1692. Ray, Dissol. World, III. v. (1732), 376. For the better explicating of Natural Things.
1616. Beaum. & Fl., Faithful Friends, IV. i. Surcease a while this explicating joy.
