explicansn.
/ˈɛksplᵻkanz/, U.S. /ˈɛkspləˌkænz/ Originally and chiefly Philosophy.
That which explains or explicates something; spec. (in Logic) that which is proposed as an analysis or clarification of the meaning of a given concept or expression. Opposed to explicand, explicandum.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > answer > [noun] > solution, explanation > explanatory part of
explicans1882
explanans1948
1882 W. James in Mind 7 195 Such a system of explaining notum per ignotum, of making the explicans borrow credentials from the explicand,..is a strange candidate for the honour of being a complete rationaliser of the world.
1953 R. B. Braithwaite Sci. Explan. x. 321 The explicans in such an explanation is an event.
1986 T. Dartnall in Philos. Q. 36 397 The explicans contains more information than the explicandum (bearing in mind that petitio cannot arise in the case of explanations: ‘p because p’ is not an explanation).
2009 Erkenntnis 70 92 Even if the explication were theoretically sound, it would leave us with the formidable task of determining the truth of the explicans.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1882