Added 4 October 2026
explore
/ɪkˈsplɔː/ verb
In Latin: speculor Wiktionary
verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about explore at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- To seek for something or after someone.
-
To examine or investigate something systematically.
The committee has been exploring alternative solutions to the problem at hand.
-
To travel somewhere in search of discovery.
It was around that time that the expedition began exploring the Arctic Circle.
noun
- An exploration; a tour of a place to see what it is like.
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)