explore means an exploration; a tour of a place to see what it is like.
explore is pronounced /ɪkˈsplɔː/.
Why “explore” is a great word
To travel through or examine an unfamiliar area in order to learn about or investigate it systematically. From Latin explōrāre ("to investigate, search out"), from ex- ("out") + plōrāre ("to cry out"), originally a hunters' term meaning 'to scout by shouting'; first attested in English in the 1580s. Unlike "scout," which implies a swift, tactical reconnaissance, or "scrutinize," which demands a fixed and microscopic focus, to explore is to move with deliberate curiosity into breadth and possibility. It is the tactile pressure of a hand on a cave wall, the methodical sweep of a telescope across a dark sea, the slow turning of an unfamiliar key in a dusty lock—a sustained reach into silence, listening for what answers.
Etymology
From Middle French explorer, from Latin explōrāre (“to investigate, search out”), itself said to be originally a hunters' term meaning "to set up a loud cry", from ex- (“out”) + plōrāre (“to cry”), but the second element is also explained as "to make to flow" (from pluere (“to flow”)). Displaced native Old English rāsian.
noun
- An exploration; a tour of a place to see what it is like.e.g.“Daylight was fading quickly, but I was still keen to have a little explore of the town and beach.” — 2008, John Watters, Bonza Voyage:
verb
- To seek for something or after someone.
- To examine or investigate something systematically.e.g.“The committee has been exploring alternative solutions to the problem at hand.”
- To travel somewhere in search of discovery.e.g.“It was around that time that the expedition began exploring the Arctic Circle.”
- To examine diagnostically.
- To (seek) experience first hand.e.g.“It is normal for a boy of this age to be exploring his sexuality.”
- To be engaged exploring in any of the above senses.e.g.“He was too busy exploring to notice his son needed his guidance.”
- To wander without any particular aim or purpose.e.g.“The boys explored all around till cold and hunger drove them back to the campfire one by one.”
- To seek sexual variety, to sow one's wild oats.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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