erläutert

Erläutert is the form used with the verb erläutern, meaning to explain or to elucidate. In German, erläuterungen convey making something clear through detail and justification. The present tense of the verb is erläutert in third person singular, as in Der Dozent erläutert die Hintergrundinformationen. The past participle, which forms the perfect tense with haben, is erläutert (Der Forscher hat die Theorie erläutert).

Erläutern can also function as a transitive verb meaning to explain something to someone, for example: Der Referent erläutert dem Publikum die Ursachen des Problems. In addition, erläutert can appear attributively as an adjective, describing something that has been explained, for instance eine erläuterte Vorgehensweise or ein erläutertes Konzept. In these uses the participle declines to agree with the noun: die erläuterte Methode, dem erläuterten Ansatz.

Etymologically, erläutern is built with the prefix er- added to läutern, a verb with the sense of clarifying or making something clear. The prefix adds a sense of completion or thoroughness to the explanation. In modern usage, erläutern is common in formal, technical, and academic writing, as well as in manuals and reports, where precise, stepwise clarification is desirable. It is closely related to but often more expansive than erklären, which simply means to explain, sometimes with less emphasis on detailed justification.