expound means to set out the meaning of; to explain or discuss at length. It carries an Arena rating of 1665, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, expound ranks #953 of 13,217 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,849 of 13,217 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,242 of 13,217 for Most Malleable Words, #3,263 of 13,217 for Most Elegant Words.
expound is pronounced /ɪkˈspaʊnd/.
Why “expound” is a great word
To present a subject, idea, or theory with exhaustive detail and systematic thoroughness. Its lineage flows from Middle English *expounden*, from Old French *espondre*, from Latin *exponere* ('to set forth, explain'), from *ex-* ('out') + *ponere* ('to put'). Unlike 'explain,' which seeks to make a matter clear, often by simplification, or 'elucidate,' which illuminates a particular obscurity, to expound is to construct an edifice of thought, brick by logical brick. It is the professor pacing before a chalkboard dense with derivation, the lawyer meticulously building a case precedent by precedent, or the mystic unfolding a single scripture verse into an entire cosmology—a patient testament to the conviction that anything worth understanding is worth unraveling completely.
Etymology
From Middle English expounden, from Old French espondre, from Latin exponere. Doublet of expone and expose.
verb
- To set out the meaning of; to explain or discuss at length.“Today I'll expound at length the theory propounded last week.”
- To make a statement, especially at length.“He expounded often on the dangers of the imperial presidency.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.