explained

Explained is the past tense and past participle of the verb explain. It denotes that information has been clarified or made intelligible, and it appears in both active and passive constructions. For example, “The researcher explained the results” uses explained in the simple past, while “The results were explained by the researcher” uses it in the passive voice. As a past participle, explained can also appear in reduced relative clauses, as in “the method explained in the report” or “the theory explained by the lecturer.”

Etymology and related forms: Explain derives from Late Middle English explainen, influenced by Latin explicare, meaning “to unfold, to set forth.” The Latin root explicare combines ex- (out) with plicare (to fold), signaling the sense of unfolding or making clear. Related words include explanation (a statement that clarifies), explicate (to analyze and present a detailed explanation), explicable (able to be explained), and explication (the process or result of explaining).

Usage considerations: Explained emphasizes that the act of explaining has been completed or rendered. It is common in scientific, educational, and journalistic writing, where processes, results, or mechanisms are described as having been explained. While it can modify nouns in some constructions, preferred usage often favors the passive voice or relative clauses to convey clarity, e.g., “the phenomenon explained by the model” or “the results explained in the report.”

See also: explanation, explicate, explication, explicable, explicandum.