exposit

Exposit is a transitive verb meaning to explain or set forth in detail; to interpret or reveal information, often in a systematic or formal way. The term is chiefly found in older or more formal English and is less common in contemporary everyday usage, where explain, explicate, or expound are preferred.

The word derives from Latin exponere, "to set forth," via Old French exponir. In rhetoric and literary studies, exposit is closely related to exposition: the act or process of providing background information, definitions, or justification that informs an audience about a topic. Expository writing—aimed at informing rather than persuading—often employs expository devices and structures to present evidence and reasoning.

In practice, to exposit something is to foreground its essential aspects for readers or listeners, such as expositing a theory, a historical context, or a critical interpretation. The noun form exposition appears in phrases such as "the exposition of the argument" and "dramatic exposition" referring to background information in a narrative. Adjectives related to the verb include expository and expositorial.

Related terms include exposition, expository writing, expound, explicate, and expositor.