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Explanation; display. [Obs.] Bacon.

The quality or state of being inquisitive; the disposition to seek explanation and information; curiosity to learn what is unknown; esp., uncontrolled and impertinent curiosity. Mr. Boswell, whose inquisitiveness is seconded by great activity, scrambled in at a high window. Johnson. Curiosity in children nature has pro…

A token, mark, or explanation. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.

Not solvable; insoluble; admitting no solution or explanation; as, an insolvable problem or difficulty. I. Watts.

To question imperatively, as a minister, or other executive officer, in explanation of his conduct; -- generally on the part of a legislative body.

An act of interpellating, or of demanding of an officer an explanation of his action; imperative or peremptory questioning; a point raised in a debate.

The act of interpreting; explanation of what is obscure; translation; version; construction; as, the interpretation of a foreign language, of a dream, or of an enigma. Look how we can, or sad or merrily, Interpretation will misquote our looks. Shak.

additions." Byron. "These would be details too lengthy." Jefferson. "To cut short lengthy explanations." Trench.

ring or delivering forth their nightly food. Spenser. It need hardly be observed that the explanation of livery which Spenser offers is perfectly correct, but . . . it is no longer applied to the ration or stated portion of food delivered at stated periods. Trench.

n employed . . . must be considered rather as a loose analogy than as an exact scientific explanation. Whewel.

e. -- Magnetic fluid, the hypothetical fluid whose existence was formerly assumed in the explanations of the phenomena of magnetism. -- Magnetic iron, or Magnetic iron ore. (Min.) Same as Magnetite. -- Magnetic needle, a slender bar of steel, magnetized and suspended at its center on a sharp-pointed pivot, or by a d…

erence of the relation between one set of objects to another set for the purpose of brief explanation; a compressed simile; e. g., the ship plows the sea. Abbott & Seeley. "All the world's a stage." Shak.

A collection or digest of Jewish traditions and explanations of Scripture, forming the text of the Talmud. [Written also Mischna.]

Explanation in a moral sense. T. Warton.

A thing not yet described; that of which no account or explanation has been given; something abnormal, or hardly classifiable.

Failure of solution or explanation.

A brief remark; a marginal comment or explanation; hence, an annotation on a text or author; a comment; a critical, explanatory, or illustrative observation. The best writers have been perplexed with notes, and obscured with illustrations. Felton.

ing as they are; -- hence, used as a connective particle, to introduce an inference or an explanation. How shall any man distinguish now betwixt a parasite and a man of honor L'Estrange. Why should he live, now nature bankrupt is Shak. Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now, Barabbas was a r…

An hypothesis advanced by Darwin in explanation of heredity.

A word, phrase, or sentence, by way of comment or explanation, inserted in, or attached to, a sentence which would be grammatically complete without it. It is usually inclosed within curved lines (see def. 2 below), or dashes. "Seldom mentioned without a derogatory parenthesis." Sir T. Browne. Don't suffer every occasi…